After a lot of debates, discussions and hectic parleys, the BCCI finally announced the 15-member Indian squad for the Champions Trophy. While there are no surprise picks in the squad, the inclusion of a few players have raised eyebrows.
This has been the norm across the 8 teams and there have been some quite offbeat selections made, in a bid to pick players who could deliver the results in England.
Here in this list, we take a look at 5 surprise picks from across all the 8 teams and will try to understand the rationale behind their selection. It should also be mentioned here that all the 8 teams are looking pretty solid on paper and if the teams play to their potential, the Champions Trophy could be a keenly contested affair.
#5 James Pattinson (Australia)
Strongly built and with an ability to hustle the batsmen for pace, Pattinson should have been the number 1 choice for Australia by this time of his career. However, his body has let him down previously and owing to this he slipped down in the pecking order. However, he is fit and the selectors have stuck their necks out by including him in the Australian squad.
The Victorian last played an ODI in September 2015, but has been in sparkling form and has so far taken 24 wickets at 17.41 for Victoria in the Sheffield Shield and has been a shining light for Nottinghamshire in County Championship. Hence, the selectors have decided to go in with form and a roaring Pattinson could be the X-factor for Australia in England.
He now looks fit and comfortable with his action which has allowed him to bully batsmen both in Australia and England and the management would hope he could continue this form into the Champions Trophy.
#4 Chamara Kapugedara (Sri Lanka)
Back in 2006 when Kapugedara was included in the Sri Lankan team for the first time, there was a lot of excitement all over the nation due to his natural and unbridled talent.
However, 11 years down the line, the right-hander has not been able to nail down a position for him in either of the Sri Lankan sides and his story has been a frustrating one where talent is visible but the results are nowhere to be seen.
The selectors keep including him and then after another mediocre run is shunted away only to included back in. He has been given another lease of life by being included in the Champions Trophy and the now experienced man has to better than his ODI numbers which read 1551 runs in 97 matches at an average of 21.
#3 Keshav Maharaj (South Africa)
After spending a lot of time grabbing wickets for fun in the Domestic set-up, the left arm spinner was finally included in the South African Test team and he repaid all the faith invested in him.
However, ODI cricket is a different cup of tea and his inclusion in the place of chinaman bowler, Tabraiz Shamsi is surprising. Also, he has not played a lot many Limited overs matches recently and Shamsi has had good returns with the ball.
The selectors have included him owing to his ability with the bat too, but then he is primarily a bowler and in England where there will not be much assistance for the spinners, he would be closely monitored.
#2 Umar Akmal (Pakistan)
The less said about Umar Akmal the better. A player of immense ability he is still stuttering along at the International level should be a crying shame for both him and Pakistan cricket.
However, he has once again been included in the scheme of things and whether or not, he grabs on to this opportunity remains to be seen. He has the strokes to own International cricket, but his temperament has been iffy to say the least and this is what has pulled him down several times.
Having said all this, on his day he can be a match-winner and the selectors know it and have handed him another lease of life. The ball is firmly and squarely in his court, he can afford to lace it down the ground or slog across the line to be castled.
#1 Shikhar Dhawan (India)
The southpaw was the talk of England in 2013 when India went on to lift the trophy and his belligerent approach at the top of the order drew massive praise from analysts all over.
However, so much has changed in these 4 years that even his inclusion in the Indian squad is igniting debates. Runs have dried up and that carefree approach has gone downhill and Dhawan has been struggling in the recent past.
Playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad this season, he has looked in decent touch and has managed to put together decent partnerships with David Warner and some of his audacity seems to be coming back. Also, with the injury to KL Rahul, the selectors have opted for Dhawan and this could be the opportunity which the left-hander should pounce on.
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