‘There only two spinners, the rest are all-rounders’: Rohit Sharma before India’s match vs Bangladesh in Champions Trophy

Ahead of the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, India’s squad has selected a total of five spinners, which has sparked considerable discussion. During a pre-match press conference ahead of the first game against Bangladesh, India’s captain Rohit Sharma addressed the inclusion of five spinners in the squad.

Rohit clarified, "There are actually only two specialist spinners in the squad. The other three are all-rounders who can contribute both with the bat and ball." He further emphasized, "We’ve focused on our strengths, and these three all-rounders bring a new dimension to the team. They will play crucial roles in both batting and bowling, and we wanted players who can display multiple skills."

The two specialist spinners in India’s squad are Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav. The all-rounders, who provide extra depth to the squad, include Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar—each of whom can make significant contributions with the bat as well.

India’s pace attack includes Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh, and Harshit Rana, with Hardik Pandya serving as the sole pace-bowling all-rounder.

With the Champions Trophy returning after eight years, Rohit stated, "This is a very important tournament, just as every ICC event is. We need to get everything right if we want to win the trophy."

All of India’s matches in the Champions Trophy will be held at the Dubai International Stadium in the UAE. The team’s opening game will be against Bangladesh, followed by a highly anticipated clash against arch-rivals Pakistan on February 23