In spite of making an impressive comeback from their challenging tour of Australia, Team India appears to be grappling with internal unrest.
They posted a commanding show in the white-ball series against England, winning the T20Is 4-1 and sweeping the ODIs 3-0.
But all may not be hunky-dory in the dressing room, it is said. Only two days before their Champions Trophy 2025 match against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Stadium, new rumors of dissension in the team have surfaced.
As per a report by Times Now, a high-profile Indian cricketer has been said to be displeased with head coach Gautam Gambhir's selection of not naming him as India's first-choice wicketkeeper in the team's playing XI for the Champions Trophy.
That report, though, did not mention the wicketkeeper-batter's name or establish with certainty if he is among India's current contingent. The names of players playing such a special role are always limited due to the specificity involved in the task.
"Sources have exclusively told Times Now that one of India's current wicketkeepers is displeased with head coach Gautam Gambhir. The player is not currently the first choice in the playing XI for ODIs. He believes that there is an outside factor for him to lose his position in the 50-over game," the report added.
Whatever it is, it isn't KL Rahul. The right-handed batsman has well entrenched himself as India's first choice wicketkeeper in ODIs and is likely to remain so for the Champions Trophy. Having transitioned so smoothly to the middle order from opening for much of his career, Rahul has been a consistent performer in the format.
With 1438 runs at 51.35 average and a strike rate of 92.17 as a specialist wicketkeeper-batter in ODIs, he is still an integral player for the team. Though he got few chances to bat in the England series, Gambhir has already made it official that Rahul will don the wicketkeeping gloves in India's opening game against Bangladesh.
The second wicketkeeper in India's team is Rishabh Pant. The left-handed wicketkeeper was injured in a practice session in Dubai on Sunday and was limping the next day. India will be hoping that Pant's injury is not serious, particularly as he did not get an opportunity to play in the England ODIs.
Two other options—Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan—were excluded from the team. Samson has cemented his place as India’s first-choice wicketkeeper in T20Is but didn’t make the cut for the Champions Trophy.
Kishan, on the other hand, has been absent from India’s selection radar since failing to comply with BCCI’s directive to participate in domestic cricket. Before that, he was a regular presence in India’s white-ball setup, particularly in Pant’s absence. His credentials are a breathtaking double century against Bangladesh and being India's stand-by wicketkeeper in the ODI World Cup.
Read also| Champions Trophy: Ponting Endorses Arshdeep Singh as Bumrah's Replacement
Read also| Djokovic Says Majority of Players See 'Favouritism' in Sinner's Doping Ban
