India’s Number One Wicket-Keeper For Champions Trophy Confirmed By Head Coach

Going into the three-match ODI series against England just before the Champions Trophy, India faced a healthy debate on their first-choice wicket-keeper in the 50-over format. Both Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul have been part of the bilateral series and the ICC event.

Pant missed the entire series against England, as Rahul batted at number six twice in the first two games in Nagpur and Cuttack. With India batting first in the third Ahmedabad ODI, the management decided to send the Bengaluru-born at number five.

KL Rahul’s contribution in England series

When Pant missed the ODI World Cup at home after his fatal injury, the Blue Brigade pushed Rahul to bat in the middle order. The veteran finished the tournament as the eighth leading run-getter with the help of 452 runs in 10 innings at an average of 75.33 and a strike rate of 90.76, thanks to two half-centuries and one century.

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In the opening game of the recent series against England in Nagpur, Rahul managed just two runs at number five. With Shubman Gill getting near to his century, KL decided to play the defensive shots and hit the ball back to Adil Rashid.

During the second encounter in Cuttack, the 32-year-old again failed for just 10 runs on the board. However, his contribution during the third fixture in Ahmedabad was special. The right-handed batter smashed 40 runs in just 29 deliveries, shouldering on three boundaries and one six at a strike rate of 137.93.

India played just three ODIs last year against Sri Lanka, where most of their batters struggled against the spinners. But in 2023, the Karnataka batter smashed 1203 runs in 29 innings at an average of 57.28 and a strike rate of 81.06, shouldering on three centuries and seven half-centuries at the best score of unbeaten 111 runs.

Gautam Gambhir ditches Rishabh Pant to confirm India’s number-one ODI wicket-keeper

At the end of the Blue Brigade’s 142-run victory at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India’s head coach, Gautam Gambhir, confirmed that KL Rahul is ahead of Pant in the keeping duties for the Champions Trophy.

The former opener benched Pant and addressed that even though both players carry great qualities, the southpaw would continue to be on the sidelines but should be prepared for the chances.

“At the moment, KL is a No.1 wicketkeeper for us, and he’s delivered for us. And see, when you’ve got two wicketkeepers in this squad, you can’t play both the wicketkeepers with the kind of quality we’ve got.” Gambhir expressed this at the post-match show on Star Sports.

“Hopefully, whenever he gets that opportunity, he should be ready for it. That’s all I can say at the moment. Right now, KL is the one who’s going to start.” The Delhi-born claimed.

KL Rahul is to start the Champions Trophy against Bangladesh

Rahul has batted only once at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in ODIs and smacked 60 runs in that innings at a strike rate of 90.91 with the help of five boundaries and one six.

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He will be in the playing eleven for India’s opening clash against Bangladesh in the Champions Trophy and perhaps against Pakistan in the mega event. But, it will be important for the management to keep the batter at number five rather than six.

At number five, Rahul has drilled 1299 ODI runs in 31 innings at an average of 56.48. The average comes down to 18 and a strike rate of just 78.26 in four ODI innings