BCCI Rejects KL Rahul’s Request For A Rest, Asks Him To Play England Series – News18

Last Updated:January 11, 2025, 11:06 IST

KL Rahul had reportedly asked for a rest during the England series, which now seems to have been rejected.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly asked wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul to play the upcoming white-ball series against England. This comes after other reports only hours ago had said that Rahul had requested a rest from the board, which was accepted because he was ‘assured’ of a spot in the Champions Trophy in February.

India will play five T20Is and three ODIs against England, starting from January 22. Rahul played all five Tests against Australia last month and was being seen in the same group as skipper Rohit Sharma, senior batter Virat Kohli, and vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah, who all are likely to be given a break for the ODIs after a tough tour down under.

“The selectors initially decided to rest Rahul, who plays in the middle order and is a wicketkeeper in the ODIs, from the entire white-ball series against England at home. However, they had a rethink and the BCCI has now asked him to play in the ODI series so that he gains some match practice ahead of the Champions Trophy in February,” the Times of India quoted a source as saying.

Rahul last played an ODI in August 2024 in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, the only series India played in the format for the entire year.

He could be a key member of India’s squad for the Champions Trophy. Like in Tests, he brings an ability to bat across the order, while being an excellent option at number five. Though his knock in the 2023 World Cup final is criticized, he had a good tournament otherwise, scoring 452 runs at an average of 75.33.

If selected, Rahul would like to build on his tour of Australia, but with a bit more consistency. After that tour, former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar had explained the key issue around Rahul’s almost frustrating career.

“I think now we know what KL Rahul is about. We were talking about him being India’s best batter at the start of the series. He looked so compact, then got that 80 in Brisbane as well. We thought this might just change his career in the right direction. Then you saw the failures again,” Manjrekar was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.