Harsha Bhogle reveals his ODI XI of the Year
Harsha Bhogle reveals his ODI Team of the Year for 2025 and explains why selecting the best players was difficult due to fewer matches.
Famous cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle has revealed his ODI Team of the Year for 2025 and calling the selection process to be unusually difficult this time around. He went ahead to explain that though the year had a busy cricket calendar, very few One Day Internationals were played in the year, which made the judging tough.
Bhogle pointed out that several world-class players missed out simply because they did not play enough ODIs in 2025. As a result, this year’s selection was based more on impact and consistency rather than reputation. He described the exercise as “peculiar,” since many automatic choices from previous years could not be justified statistically.
He also clarified why he did not name a T20 Team of the Year. According to Bhogle, the heavy presence of franchise cricket and constant experimentation in international T20s make it hard to fairly measure performances. He felt any T20 XI would lack balance and context compared to an ODI selection.
A Balanced XI Built on Consistency and Impact
Bhogle's ODI XI will be built around experience and numerous statistics. He opens with Rohit Sharma, who scored 650 runs at an average of 50, and Shai Hope, who made 670 runs at an average of 56, the latter also donning wicketkeeping duties. He follows that with Virat Kohli and Joe Root, thus making a very sure core in the top order, where every single batsman averaged over 50.
For the middle order, Bhogle selects players who can bring flexibility. While Matthew Breetzke will provide adaptability to various situations, Daryl Mitchell will provide power-hitting whenever quick runs are needed. This allows the team to rebuild calmly or accelerate late into the innings.
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The bowling unit has a clear wicket-taking approach. Mitchell Santner fills the all-rounder slot for his tight economy and improved batting. He gets support from pacers Matt Henry, who took 31 wickets in 13 matches, and Jofra Archer for his match-winning threat. Jayden Seales gets in on the basis of a good strike rate, while Kuldeep Yadav's ability to break partnerships in the middle overs gets him the nod. Bhogle said that even though some big names did not make the cut because of their limited game time, this XI represents the most effective ODI performers of 2025.
Harsha Bhogle's ODI XI of the Year
Rohit Sharma, Shai Hope (wk), Virat Kohli, Joe Root, Matthew Breetzke, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Jofra Archer, Jayden Seales, Kuldeep Yadav.
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