Clarke picks India's Champs Trophy team

India may not have revealed their Champions Trophy squad, but that hasn't stopped former Australia skipper Michael Clarke from picking his preferred team.

The ICC had requested all eight teams involved in the Champions Trophy nominate their 15-man squads by April 25, with seven nations complying.

Quick Single: All the named Champions Trophy squads

The delay allowed World Cup winning captain Michael Clarke, in India to commentate on the IPL, to name his squad, calling for Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina to return to the ODI fold.

Clarke also said Mumbai Indians rising star Hardik Pandya would not be in his starting XI, but would make the squad, while the experienced Shikhar Dhawan and Ishant Sharma were overlooked entirely.

While Clarke said he was too partisan to say anyone other than Australia would win the tournament, he did add he believed India "could" defend their trophy in the tournament that starts on June 1.

With KL Rahul still recovering from the shoulder he injured in Test matches against Australia and rating his own chances of making the tournament as "slim" Clarke looked for a replacement to open alongside Ajinkya Rahane.

"(Rahul) is a big loss but India have got replacements," Clarke told India Today.

"I think Rohit Sharma needs to play, I would like to see him open the batting for the Mumbai Indians (in the IPL) and in one-day cricket.

Quick Single: Rohit stung for dissent over wide no-call

"Rahane's technique if the ball is swinging is conducive to England, he is a good player of both fast and spin bowling and he offers a lot in the field."

With captain Virat Kohli at first drop and Yuvraj Singh retained at No.4, Clarke opted for a middle-order combination of MS Dhoni – "still the best 'keeper in India" – Manish Pandey and Kedar Jadhav.

"Those three players offer a lot of options for the Indian team, you've got a spare wicketkeeper as well if Dhoni gets injured and Manish Pandey has really grabbed his opportunity in this IPL," Clarke said.

The spin twins of Ravi Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were Clarke's first-picked bowlers, with a pace battery of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.

Clarke said Kumar was a "phenomonal" player in all three formats and while it was "tough" to leave Ishant out, "that's the way I'm going".

Clarke's key choice was the recall of Suresh Raina to the India team.

The 30-year-old last played an ODI in October 2015 but Clarke said: "I still believe he has a lot of cricket left in him for India."

"I think he's feeling the burden of the Gujarat Lions lack of success, I think he's taking it personally and to heart. That shows the quality of person, and captain he is.

"But I feel that is just tying him back a little bit at the moment. I still believe Suresh Raina has a lot of runs in any format."

Clarke said Mumbai rising star Hardik Pandya had "improved out of sight" but was not a first-choice starter.

"He's in my squad (and) conditions will dictate what XI I play," Clarke said.

"I agree he's improved out of sight, maturity is taking its natural course and his game has improved with bat and ball.

"I feel like he's the type of player, a bit like (Australia's James) Faulkner, who wants to be on the big stage – give me the ball, give me the bat, and I'll stand up and help this team win."

Clarke's India squad: Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Virat Kohli (c), Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Hardik Pandya, Suresh Raina.

Champions Trophy 2017 Guide

Squads: Every Champions Trophy squad named so far

Group A: Australia, New Zealand, England, Bangladesh.

Group B: India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Pakistan.

Schedule

Warm-up matches

26 May – Australia v Sri Lanka, The Oval

27 May – Bangladesh v Pakistan, Edgbaston

28 May – India v New Zealand, The Oval

29 May – Australia v Pakistan, Edgbaston

30 May – New Zealand v Sri Lanka, Edgbaston

30 May – Bangladesh vs India, The Oval

Tournament

1 June – England v Bangladesh, The Oval (Day)

2 June – Australia v New Zealand, Edgbaston (D)

3 June – Sri Lanka v South Africa, The Oval (D)

4 June – India v Pakistan, Edgbaston (D)

5 June – Australia v Bangladesh, The Oval (D/N)

6 June – England v New Zealand, Cardiff (D)

7 June – Pakistan v South Africa, Edgbaston (D/N)

8 June – India v Sri Lanka, The Oval (D)

9 June – New Zealand v Bangladesh, Cardiff (D)

10 June – England v Australia, Edgbaston (D)

11 June – India v South Africa, The Oval (D)

12 June – Sri Lanka v Pakistan, Cardiff (D)

14 June – First semi-final (A1 v B2), Cardiff (D)

15 June – Second semi-final (A2 v B1), Edgbaston (D)

18 June – Final, The Oval (D)

19 June – Reserve day (D)