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KL Rahul vs Rishabh Pant in ICC Champions Trophy: Who should be India’s wicket-keeper?

KL Rahul vs Rishabh Pant in ICC Champions Trophy: Who should be India’s wicket-keeper?

A proper head-to-head battle for a keeper's spot will be between Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul.

Let’s just put the Sanju Samson exclusion aside and focus on who have been selected in India’s squad for the ICC Champions Trophy. The two wicketkeepers included are KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, who both have huge pedigrees as pure batters and are superstars in their own rights. But both of them surely can’t play, right? You have skipper Rohit Sharma alongside deputy Shubman Gill, followed by one of the greatest ODI batters of all time, Virat Kohli. The number four slot should be fixed for Shreyas Iyer. Despite not being in India’s central contract, he has been a phenomenal ODI batter.

KL Rahul or Rishabh Pant—who is the better batter?

Now, the battle for a spot comes at number five, where both KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant have a case for themselves. India don’t have many middle-order options in the squad. While one could argue that India shouldn’t tinker with KL Rahul’s number five spot, Pant has his own case, courtesy of the ‘X-factor’ he brings to the table. Meanwhile, the southpaw is also a better keeper than KL Rahul, who is a makeshift glovesman. Despite this, KL has done nothing wrong in the opportunities he has got behind the stumps.

KL Rahul stats at No. 5 (ODIs)

MatInnsRunsHSAvgBFSR100s50s4s6s
3030125911257.22131995.45299435

KL Rahul has played across seven different positions in ODI cricket. However, his most successful batting spot is at number five, where he has hammered 1259 runs at an average of 57.22, which is absolutely brilliant. Even at the ODI World Cup 2023, he was among the top 10 run-getters, with 452 runs at an incredible average of 75.33. His SR of 90.76 also shows that Rahul is quite an adaptable batter.

Rishabh Pant stats at No. 5 (ODI)

MatInnsRunsHSAvgBFSR100s50s4s6s
773107744.28227136.56032715

On the contrary, Rishabh Pant hasn’t played much at the position. Although he averages 44.28, his strike rate of almost 137 is quite threatening. Regardless, Pant is yet to convert his Test magic in ODIs. Yes, he has that match-winning century in Manchester but that is it. The kind of contributions KL Rahul has made is hard to ignore.

Why KL Rahul over Rishabh Pant is a must

KL Rahul had a rigorous tour Down Under, making his case as a proper Test opener. He looked assured and ended the tour with 276 runs at an average of 30.67. Following this, he opted to rest out from Karnataka’s remaining knockout matches at the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2024/25. His spot should never come into question anyway, having racked up runs every time he has the opportunity in the middle-order. Ever since his ODI return in Asia Cup 2023, he has amassed 865 runs at an incredible average of 61.78.

Most runs for India since Asia Cup 2023 ft. KL Rahul

PlayerInnsRunsAveSR100504s6s
Rohit Sharma20102954.15125.181911056
Virat Kohli1810087292.47479113
Shubman Gill2089152.4198.23279324
KL Rahul2086561.7889.91257415
Shreyas Iyer1979049.37112.53346430
In ODIs

What does Pant offer?

The only case for Pant is the fact that he is a left-hander. Yes, he can change the course of a game in any moment but to drop KL Rahul would be an injustice. India don’t have a left-hander in their top six. Hence, Pant might get a look-in. However, there wasn’t any lefty during the ODI World Cup 2023 as well and the hosts were arguably the best team in that tournament. Although the left-right combination frustrates opposition, it sometimes acts as a hoax. You cannot drop an in-form batter who has done superbly at that very position just for an ambidextrous advantage. Hence, at the ICC Champions Trophy, Rohit Sharma should continue with his ODI World Cup 2023 batting order. If any batter endures poor form, then Pant can surely come in at any time.

Team India squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025

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