KL Rahul no es un portero de 'primera elección', Raina ha elegido a Rishabh Pant en el XI de India para el Trofeo de Campeones ICC.

Sólo un jugador en la historia de ODI ha promediado más que KL Rahul, quinto clasificado (56,78).

Now that the India cricket team’s squad for the ICC Champions Trophy is out, all the talk will be about who makes it to the final XI. Most of the players pick themselves, granted they are fit. But for some, their spots aren’t guaranteed. One conundrum that Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir would face will be deciding who’ll be the wicketkeeper, KL Rahul or Rishabh Pant?

KL Rahul, an ODI great at No. 5

Since 2022, Rahul has been the mainstay for India. He’s batted everywhere from numbers one to seven, but the most success he’s found has been at number five. Only one player in the history of ODIs averages more than Rahul at the position, and that’s AB de Villiers.

Pant over Rahul over Raina

Yet when it comes to selection, former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina picks Pant. For him, there is no doubt that the batter from Delhi is the first-choice wicketkeeper. He thinks that given the talent and hitting ability Pant possesses, there is no doubt he has to bat in the middle order.

“Rishabh Pant is the first-choice wicketkeeper over KL Rahul (for me). He has a lot of responsibility in the middle order. He can even come in at number 4 before Hardik Pandya. If he plays 40 balls, then he can finish the game for India. He has that talent,” Raina said on the Star Sports Press Room.

Why it’s wrong to drop KL Rahul for Rishabh Pant

However, if we compare their records at numbers four and five, one has to say that Rahul is the clear winner. Despite playing 19 more matches at the position, the batter from Karnataka averages 21 more than Pant. The strike rate gives an edge to the southpaw, but it surely isn’t enough to bridge the gap.

One mustn’t forget that Rahul played a couple of all-timers in the ODI World Cup 2023, including two fifties in tough situations against Australia. Pant being left-handed does help, but you can’t just drop your best player at a certain position because he isn’t a southpaw.