The Indian team will play a white-ball series against the Three Lions, which will start with five T20Is, followed by the 50-over games.
The Indian board (BCCI) has reportedly asked star India batter KL Rahul to feature in the three-match ODI series against England, which precedes the Champions Trophy 2025 despite initially granting him rest for the IND vs ENG ODI leg. The Indian team will play a white-ball series against the Three Lions, which will start with five T20Is, followed by the 50-over games.
A source privy to the developments told TOI, “The selectors initially decided to rest Rahul, who plays in the middle order and is a wicketkeeper in the ODIs, from the entire white-ball series against England at home. However, they had a rethink and the BCCI has now asked him to play in the ODI series so that he gains some match practice ahead of the Champions Trophy in February.”
After participating in all five Test matches of the intense Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia, Rahul decided to take a break. He chose not to join the Karnataka team for the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy knockout stages and also planned to skip the England series.
ALSO READ: Arshdeep Singh works over CSK star in Vijay Hazare Trophy Quarter-final, pushes case for Champions Trophy 2025
KL Rahul is expected to be India’s No.1 wicketkeeping pick for Champions Trophy 2025
The wicketkeeping spot will witness the most competition with the likes of KL Rahul, Sanju Samson, and Rishabh Pant available for selection.
Despite Pant making a return to the ODIs and Sanu Samson having the management’s backing, it seems likely that it will be KL Rahul who will be the frontrunner for the role. The dynamic right-hander has looked in stellar form in the 50-overs format and was one of the star performers in India’s runners-up campaign in the 2023 ODI World Cup, scoring 452 runs in 10 innings, including a century and two fifties.
If Rahul participates against England in the ODI series, it can give him a good chance to hone his white-ball skills and allow the selectors to make a more informed decision.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.
