India coach Gautam Gambhir has clarified that KL Rahul is the strongest wicketkeeper in the squad for the Champions Trophy, therefore it is just about certain that Rishabh Pant will not make it into the playing eleven.
Gambhir was keen to clarify that with two wicketkeepers in the team, logically enough, therefore, both were unable to fit in the team, especially since the team looked that strong generally. Gambhir stated, "KL is the No. 1 wicketkeeper, and he has performed for us."
In the just-concluded ODI series against England, only Pant among the picked players was not given a game, while others were given at least one. Rahul, who had been struggling early at the No. 6 batting slot, found his touch at No. 5, scoring a vital 40 off 29 balls in India's dominant 142-run win in the third ODI.
Gambhir also spoke on the snubbing of promising young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal from the remaining 15-player Champions Trophy team, calling it an attempt at creating additional wicket-taking assets for the middle overs. Gambhir spoke about the X-factor potential of Varun Chakravarthy and said no team has even had the experience of playing him yet. Despite conceding that the future does promise a great deal from Jaiswal, Gambhir was referring to the limitation of just having to choose 15 players.
In the case of fast bowler Mohammed Shami, Gambhir explained that the team is managing his workload and hence played in just two T20Is and two ODIs. The aim is to keep him fit and fresh for the Champions Trophy.
Gambhir also called for patience with young guns such as Shubman Gill, who played reasonably well in the ODI series even though he struggled in the Tests on tough surfaces. He said that youngsters should be encouraged and not criticized after each innings, and much more support is needed for them to develop and India's future in cricket.
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