The stage is now set for the ICC Champions Trophy. The Border Gavaskar Trophy is now over as the India Cricket Team now turns their attention white ball format. And this brings us to the raging question – Who will be India’s keeper? KL Rahul or Rishabh Pant.
KL Rahul leads the charts to get his spot in the India Playing XI. It is impossible to drop KL Rahul who is the number 1 keeper for India in the 50-over format. He has been in stunning form and his records speak volumes for the same. On the other hand, it will have to be Rishabh Pant who will have to serve as the backup keeper.
Rishabh Pant to serve as backup for KL Rahul
It is just how the universe balances everything. In the T20 World Cup, KL was not even selected in the squad as Pant was the number 1 keeper and went on to lift the trophy. But come ODIs, it is KL Rahul who is always up on the pecking order.
Ever since his return to International cricket, Pant has played just 1 ODI match against Sri Lanka. On the other hand, KL was India’s keeper in the ODI World Cup and managed to reach the finals.
KL Rahul’s stats in ODIs speak for himself. In the previous World Cup, he was the 8th highest run-getter. He registered 452 runs from 10 innings. The ace keeper-batter managed to manage to score 1 century and 2 fifties despite coming to bat in the middle order. Furthermore, KL provides stability in the order compared to blitzkrieg which Pant offers.
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Rishabh Pant brings different dynamics to the game. His aggressive style of gameplay often throws away the opposition. But not every time does this trick work. When an innings is needed to be anchored, Pant’s explosive batting is like adding more petrol to the fire. And when compared to KL, the ODI stats showcase a striking difference.
In ODIs, KL Rahul has a whooping average of 49.15 which is far greater than 33.5 owned by Rishabh Pant. While both the players are extremely talented and in an ideal world, both should get a chance. However, in the India Playing XI, there is spot for only one player and that belongs to KL Rahul.
KL Rahul vs Rishabh Pant Stats in ODIs
| Player | Mat | Runs | Avg | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
| KL Rahul | 77 | 2851 | 49.15 | 87.56 | 7 | 18 | 226 | 61 |
| Rishabh Pant | 31 | 871 | 33.5 | 106.21 | 1 | 5 | 91 | 26 |
