IND vs ENG: KL Rahul to Miss ODIs, Champions Trophy Place Assured by BCCI

Indian cricket fans, this one’s for you! With the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 approaching swiftly, India’s ODI wicket-keeping spot remains up in the air. But first, comes the white ball series against England, and it's reported that KL Rahul, who was brilliant in the 2023 ODI World Cup, will be rested for the entire series. He is, however, already assured of a spot in the Champions Trophy squad.

In Australia, he showed himself as a good Test opener, and he scored 276 runs with an average of 30.67. Then, he left Karnataka's remaining knockout matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) 2024/25 to rest. Now, Rahul is expected to extend his break until the ICC Champions Trophy starting February 19. India is in Group A of the tournament with Bangladesh, New Zealand, and co-hosts Pakistan.

Rahul has been confirmed for the Champions Trophy squad as reported by the Times of India. Never in doubt was his inclusion as he has always been useful in the middle order with his runs. If Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and possibly Shreyas Iyer take the top four spots then Rahul is expected to slot in at number five. His last ODI run score since his return in Asia Cup 2023 has been 865 at an average of 61.78.

The absence of Rahul for this time can be personal in nature; Rahul and his wife Athiya Shetty announced in November of 2024 that they are expecting their first child. Likewise, Indian captain Rohit Sharma has also left a Perth Test during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy to welcome his second child.

#BREAKING India batter KL Rahul is set to be rested from the eight-match white-ball series against England at home, comprising five T20Is and three ODIs, which will kick off from Jan 22

— Gaurav Gupta (@toi_gauravG) January 9, 2025

Pant vs Samson: The Battle for the No. 5 Spot

If KL Rahul is rested for the three ODIs against England, who will replace him? The most straightforward answer is Rishabh Pant. He would add a left-handed option to India’s XI, a role currently only filled by all-rounders like Jadeja or Axar at No. 6. But Pant is still finding his feet in ODIs. He has only made one significant score in Manchester and since then, his form has been quite poor. Pant last played in a regular ODI in November 2022, after a brief appearance against Sri Lanka last year.

Another potential replacement is Sanju Samson, an opener in T20Is. The Kerala batter has made the most of his ODI opportunities, averaging 56.66 with 510 runs. He even smashed a century (108 vs South Africa in Paarl) in his last ODI series. Either Pant or Samson could step in with the No. 5 spot available, though Pant seems the more likely choice.