The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is believed to have directed KL Rahul to be part of the forthcoming white-ball series against England. This would follow reports from just hours ago stating that Rahul requested a leave from the board, although it was understood that he would get a place in the Champions Trophy in February.
India will face England in a single series of five T20Is and three ODIs, commencing January 22nd. Rahul was in the same group with skipper Rohit Sharma, senior batter Virat Kohli, and vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah-who all are likely to be given a break for the ODIs after a tough tour down under as he played all five Tests held against Australia last month.
“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,” the Times of India quoted a source as saying.
Rahul’s last innings in ODI format were played in August, 2024, during the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka-the only series India played for the ODI format throughout the year.
He could be very important in India for Champions Trophy. And like Test, he has the ability to bat across the order but is also an excellent option at number five. Though he is criticized for his knock in the 2023 World Cup final, he otherwise had a good tournament, scoring 452 runs at an average of 75.33.
Rahul would like to develop his Australian tour into a consistent performance if given the opportunity. Former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar explained to this tour how the primary issue is about Rahul’s almost annoying career.
“I think now we know what KL Rahul is about. We were talking about him being India’s best batter at the start of the series. He looked so compact, then scored that 80 in Brisbane as well. We thought this might just change his career in the right direction. But then you saw the failures again”, quoted Manjrekar by ESPNCricinfo.
