KL Rahul is just back from a gruelling IND vs AUS Test series where he was arguably one of India’s best batters. Now, he turns his eyes towards the limited-overs format, especially with the ICC Champions Trophy just around the corner. However, do India really need the services of the Karnataka batter in 50-overs format? He’s one of the best ODI batters for India, without any doubt. But will he be a perfect fit given the combinations and permutations?
Why India may not need KL Rahul for Champions Trophy 2025
While Rahul has been India’s first-choice wicketkeeper in ODIs for a couple of years now, he is now no longer needed since Rishabh Pant has made his return. The southpaw was India’s first-choice keeper across formats and will perhaps continue to be so, at least in Tests and ODIs. Secondly, the team would be rather better off with a left-handed batter in the middle-order. One could say that it is extremely hard to drop Rahul from the ODI side simply because he is India’s 8th highest run-getter in the format with 2851 runs from 77 matches, 18 half-centuries and seven hundreds. His average in the 50-overs format is a mind-boggling 49.15. Besides, he also has 1269 runs while batting at the number 5 position.
| Mat | Inns | Runs | Ave | SR | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 77 | 72 | 2851 | 49.15 | 87.56 | 7 | 18 |
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However, it would be wise for India to stick with Pant as their first-choice keeper and number 4 batter. As mentioned before, the combination would be perfect as the team might require a left-handed batter in the middle-order. While Ravindra Jadeja or Axar Patel could be other options, it is pertinent to point out that they bat lower down the order and hence leave a void at the number 4 or 5 position.
Apart from the aforementioned reasons, India’s CT 2025 squad is likely to comprise of stalwarts like Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya among other batters who have had more white-ball experience in the recent months in comparison with Rahul. While Rahul was devoted to Test cricket in the recent past, these stars have been preparing for white-ball cricket by taking part in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy. Hence, it makes more sense if KL Rahul is left out of the squad, or if not, be included just as a reserve and surely not a part of the XI for each and every game.
Rahul will not feature in the Vijay Hazare Trophy knockout matches for Karnataka as he has reportedly requested for a break following BGT. While there are no doubts that he has faced a hectic schedule in the last couple of months, he should be given a break and instead should be allowed to focus on the upcoming Ranji Trophy season and IPL 2025.
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