India announces 15-member squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025
New Delhi: India has announced its 15-member squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, with captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar revealing the details at a press conference. The squad will also play the ODI series against England as part of its preparation for the tournament.
Shubman Gill has been named the vice-captain of the team, a move that signals the management's confidence in him as a future leader. Meanwhile, the fitness status of Jasprit Bumrah remains uncertain, with Agarkar stating that clarity will emerge in February. To address potential concerns, Harshit Rana has been selected for the England ODI series.
KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant have been chosen as the primary wicket-keepers, leaving out Sanju Samson. In a significant comeback, Mohammed Shami has been included in the squad after recovering from an injury. Kuldeep Yadav, another key player, also makes his return.
Several notable names, including Mohammed Siraj, Nitish Reddy, and Karun Nair, have not been included in the team. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is yet to make his ODI debut, has been brought in as a backup opener, thanks to his impressive performances in Tests and T20Is.
India’s squad is identical for both the Champions Trophy and the England series, ensuring consistency in preparations. However, the absence of a pace-bowling all-rounder to back up Hardik Pandya could become a concern if fitness issues arise.
The Champions Trophy 2025 is set to take place from 19 February to 9 March.
Full squad for the Champions Trophy 2025:
Batters: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer
Wicket-Keepers: KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant
All-Rounders: Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar
Bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
