Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin made several notable selections as he announced his team of the tournament for the recently concluded Champions Trophy 2025, in which India triumphed over New Zealand to secure the title for an unprecedented third time. Notably, the captain of the winning team, Rohit Sharma, was not included in Ashwin's selections.

The team featured four players from the victorious Indian squad, alongside three from New Zealand, and one each from Australia, England, Afghanistan, and South Africa.

Although Rohit Sharma showcased his talent with an impressive innings of 76 in the final, contributing to India's four-wicket victory over New Zealand, the 37-year-old was excluded from the lineup. Instead, Ashwin opted for New Zealand's Rachin Ravindra and England's Ben Duckett as his opening pair. Ravindra earned the title of 'Player of the Tournament' after emerging as the highest run-scorer with a total of 263 runs, while Duckett secured third place with 227 runs, which included a record-setting score of 165.

Additionally, Ashwin selected India's top two run-scorers, Virat Kohli (218 runs) and Shreyas Iyer (243 runs), along with Josh Inglis and David Miller to round out the middle order. Afghanistan's Azmatullah Omarzai, who ascended to the top of the ICC ODI rankings during the tournament, was chosen as the fast-bowling all-rounder, while New Zealand's Michael Bracewell was selected as the spin-bowling all-rounder.

No place for Mohammed Shami

The experienced Indian fast bowler made a significant contribution as the leading pace option, claiming nine wickets across five matches, which included a remarkable five-wicket haul. Despite this, he was not selected, as Ashwin opted for only one specialist pacer, Matt Henry, who achieved the tournament's highest wicket tally with 10 wickets in four innings, maintaining an economy rate of 5.32. Unfortunately, he was unable to participate in the final due to a shoulder injury.

In contrast, Ashwin chose two spinners from India, Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav. Chakaravarthy emerged as India's top bowler in the tournament, despite missing the initial two matches, taking nine wickets in three games at an impressive economy rate of 4.53. Kuldeep Yadav also performed well, securing seven wickets in five matches. Additionally, Ashwin included Mitchell Santner as the 12th man.

Ashwin's Team of the Tournament for the Champions Trophy 2025 includes: Rachin Ravindra, Ben Duckett, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Josh Inglis, David Miller, Azmatullah Omarzai, Michael Bracewell, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Matt Henry, with Mitchell Santner as the 12th man.

Read Also: Rohit Sharma's Uncontrollable Laughter: Rishabh Pant's Humorous Rejection

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