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Former England captain names India's alternate playing XI that could've made it to Champions Trophy 2025 final featuring Yuzvendra Chahal, Suryakumar Yadav

Michael Vaughan snubbed the likes of Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube and Mohammed Siraj to name his India's alternate playing XI that could've reached Champions Trophy 2025 final as well.

Sports Tak

• Mon • 10 Mar 2025

Michael Vaughan, Alastair Cook, Ben Stokes

Michael Vaughan (L) and Sir Alastair Cook with Ben Stokes of England after the Test between England and Ireland at Lord's Cricket Ground on June 03, 2023 in London.

Highlights:

Sunil Gavaskar had claimed an Indian B or C team could've beaten Pakistan.

Michael Vaughan lauded India for the bench strength they have created.

Vaughan kept out-of-favour cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal in his alternate India playing XI as well.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan lauded India's bench strength after their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 triumph. Vaughan included three players -- Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar and Arshdeep Singh -- from India's Champions Trophy 2025 squad who warmed the benches and Jasprit Bumrah who missed the tournament due to injury. He feels that the alternate playing XI could have made it to the final against New Zealand as well. Earlier, legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar had claimed that an Indian B or C team is capable of beating Pakistan.

"Jaiswal,Varma,Sharma,Sky,Pant,Reddy,Sundar,Chahal,Arsdeep,Bumrah & Bisnoi …. This team would have made it to the final as well IMO .. The strength in Indian cricket in white ball is off the scale," Vaughan wrote on X.

Vaughan's alternate playing XI -

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravi Bishnoi

Batting lineup and captain

Yashasvi Jaiswal was a last-minute exclusion from the Champions Trophy squad to make way for mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy who took nine wickets from three games. Vaughan did not name the captain but seems he would have liked T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav to lead the side.

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Apart from Jaiswal, he picked Tilak Varma and Abhishek Sharma in the top order. He kept Pant as the wicketkeeper-batter. To play the fast-bowling all-rounder's role, he picked Nitish Kumar Reddy who has impressed in T20Is and Tests so far. Sundar who did not get a game in Dubai is in the spin-bowling all-rounder's role.

Bowling lineup

However, the batting in Vaughan's team is not as deep as Rohit Sharma's side. He has gone with two frontline pacers in left-arm pacer Arshdeep alongside pace-bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah. The frontline spinners are wrist spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravi Bishnoi. Chahal was present in the stadium to watch the final between India and New Zealand. Left-arm spinner Abhishek is another bowling option in the team.

ALSO READ: 'Rohit Sharma puts fear in bowlers': Mitchell Santner's stunning admission after New Zealand's loss to India in Champions Trophy 2025 final

In another post, Vaughan termed India the best white-ball team in the world, way ahead of others.

"Let’s be honest India are the best team in the world in white ball cricket by a decent margin .. Throughly deserved to Win .. T20 holders/Champions trophy holders .. Now down to rest to try and catch up" he opined.

Three Champions Trophy titles for India

This was India's third Champions Trophy title win. In 2002, they shared the trophy with Sri Lanka as the match was washed out due to rain. In 2013, they beat England to win the trophy. In 2025, they exacted revenge of 2000 final to beat New Zealand.