Team for Champions Trophy today

The Sandeep Patil-led selection committee will meet in Mumbai on Saturday to name India’s 15-member squad for the Champions Trophy to be held in England and Wales from June 6 to 23.

It will be interesting to see if the selectors tweak the probables’ list to include names who have done well in the Indian Premier League or will restrict themselves to pick the squad from the 30 players they had named on April 6,

The ICC rules allow the selection panel the option to choose players from outside the probables’ list announced earlier. The two biggest exclusions from the probables, opener Virender Sehwag and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, are unlikely to make the cut unless the selectors choose to spring a surprise by reposing faith in either or both, whose career has clearly been on decline in recent times.

Gautam Gambhir, Unmukt Chand, Shikhar Dhawan and Murali Vijay are in the running for the three possible openers’ slots for the upcoming mini World Cup

Sehwag’s statemates Gautam Gambhir, Unmukt Chand, Shikhar Dhawan apart from Murali Vijay are in the running for the three possible berths for openers while Harbhajan has competition from the quintet of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Amit Mishra, Jalaj Saxena and Parveez Rassol for the spinners’ slot. The first two look a certainty here but legspinner Mishra has presented a strong case for himself on his impressive show in the IPL. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is all set to retain the captaincy as he prepares to have a shot at a third world title for India after the World Cup and the T20 Worlds. RAVI BOPARA GETS SURPRISE RECALL AFP adds: Ravi Bopara’s England exile came to an end on Friday when the he was named in the hosts’ 15man squad for the event and the preceding one-day series against New Zealand. Bopara has not played a ODI since September.