Sun Jan 19 11:33:42 UTC 2025: ## India Announces Champions Trophy 2025 Squad; Samson Snubbed, Gill Named Vice-Captain Amidst Coaching Dispute
**NEW DELHI** – The Indian cricket team for the 2025 Champions Trophy was announced on January 18th, with several notable inclusions and exclusions sparking controversy. Shubman Gill has been named vice-captain, a decision reportedly opposed by coach Gautam Gambhir, who favored Hardik Pandya for the role. Sources suggest a disagreement between Gambhir, captain Rohit Sharma, and chief selector Ajit Agarkar regarding the vice-captaincy and the selection of wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson.
While Gambhir reportedly advocated for both Pandya and Samson, Sharma and Agarkar ultimately chose Gill as vice-captain and Rishabh Pant as the wicketkeeper, despite Samson’s impressive recent form, including a century against South Africa and a high score of 212* in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
The delayed announcement, originally scheduled for 12:30 PM, fueled speculation about internal disagreements within the team management. The final squad includes Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Ravindra Jadeja. The notable absence of Sanju Samson has drawn criticism, including from politician Shashi Tharoor, who highlighted Samson’s impressive statistics and suggested his exclusion may be linked to issues with the Kerala Cricket Association. Tharoor implied that Samson’s omission could be attributed to administrative issues rather than his cricketing ability.
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