Instead of Rohit, who was named Player of the Match (POTM) in the final, Ravichandran chose Rachin Ravindra and Ben Duckett as his two openers.
Ashwin had to choose between Joe Root and Virat Kohli for No. 3. But in the end, the off-spinner chose Kohli, praising his ability to execute under pressure, especially during the match against Pakistan.
When the great Ravichandran Ashwin announced his best team from the just finished Champions Trophy 2025, he made some audacious decisions. It’s interesting that the 38-year-old did not include Mohammed Shami, who tied for second place in wicket-taking, or winning skipper Rohit Sharma.
In a thrilling final held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, March 9, India defeated New Zealand by four wickets, winning all of their matches in the eight-team competition. However, Ashwin’s Champions Trophy 2025 ‘Team of the Tournament’ only included four Indian players.
At number four, Ravichandran picked Shreyas Iyer, who led India in runs scored in the Champions Trophy 2025, without hesitation. The former Indian spin legend omitted players like Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, and Axar Patel, who were crucial for India in crucial situations.
Josh Inglis was selected by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) spinner to be his wicketkeeper-batter, and David Miller was selected to be his finisher. Ashwin selected Michael Bracewell and Azmatullah Omarzai as his two all-rounders.
Ravichandran Best XI’s lone pacer and spin supremacy
Ravichandran Ashwin picked the Indian spin combination of Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav without hesitation in the bowling department. Chakravarthy was India’s game-changer on multiple occasions, taking nine wickets in just three games, while Kuldeep claimed seven wickets in five games. Ashwin selected Matt Henry, the top wicket-taker in the competition, as the team’s lone specialist bowler. Mitchell Santner, the captain of New Zealand, was selected as the 12th man.
Ravichandran CT 2025 Tournament Team:
Ben Duckett, Virat Kohli, Josh Inglis, David Miller, Azmatullah Omarzai, Michael Bracewell, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, Matt Henry, Shreyas Iyer, and Rachin Ravindra.
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