India begin their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh on February 20 in Dubai. The team has already reached the country and have started their practice sessions as well.
The team had a few practice sessions with Rishabh Pant getting injured in one of them. Pant along with KL Rahul are the two designated keeper-batters in the tournament. Rahul was been given the nod ahead of Pant in the recent ODI series against England.
He was fairly successful with the bat in the third ODI against England when he was asked to bat at five. He scored 40 crucial runs for his side and played his part in helping India whitewash England 3-0.
India Wicketkeeper Unhappy With Gautam Gambhir - Reports
Meanwhile, Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir has found himself embroiled in a fresh controversy. As per a recent report from Times Now, one of the star Indian players has blamed him for keeping him on the bench for far too long. The report did not mention the keeper-batter's name or confirm whether the player is part of India's Champions Trophy squad.
"Sources have exclusively confirmed to Times Now that a current India wicketkeeper is unhappy with head coach Gautam Gambhir. The player is currently not the first choice in the playing XI for ODIs. He feels that there is an external reason behind him losing his spot in the 50-over format," the report said.
As said above, Rahul and Pant are the only two keeper-batters selected in the Indian team for the ICC Champions Trophy. With Rahul being given a long run by Gambhir as India's keeper-batter in the England series, all the doubts are pointing towards Rishabh Pant. Pant played his last ODI for India on August 2024 in the series against Pakistan. He has since then not played a single ODI and was benched for the ODI series against England as well.
Meanwhile, Gautam Gambhir ahead of India's first game in the Champions Trophy confirmed that KL Rahul will be India's first-choice keeper in the tournament.
At the moment, KL is a No.1 wicketkeeper for us, and he’s delivered for us,” Gambhir told reporters after the game. “And see, when you’ve got two wicketkeepers in this squad, you can’t play both the wicketkeepers with the kind of quality we’ve got. Hopefully, whenever he (Pant) gets that opportunity, he should be ready for it. That’s all I can say at the moment. Right now, KL is the one who’s going to start" Gambhir told media at the post-match press conference after the third ODI against England.
Also Read: Champions Trophy Winners List: All ICC Champions Trophy Winners So Far
