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Former India pacer Atul Wassan has taken a sharp dig at India head coach Gautam Gambhir over his team selection for the Champions Trophy 2025, particularly questioning the decision to persist with KL Rahul over Rishabh Pant in the ODI format.
India is set to take on arch-rivals Pakistan in a crucial Group A match on Sunday, February 23, and KL Rahul is once again expected to be the first-choice wicketkeeper after his solid performance against Bangladesh.
However, Wassan believes that benching Pant for an extended period will hurt his confidence and could turn him from a hero to zero in no time.
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Wassan’s Scathing Criticism of Team Selection
In an interview with ANI, Wassan did not hold back on his criticism:
“Gautam Gambhir is picking his own team. I am very upset that Rishabh Pant is not playing. I don’t know why. What is going on? Pant is a mercurial player, someone the opposition fears. They know he can single-handedly win matches.”
He further questioned why KL Rahul continues to be India’s go-to wicketkeeper across all formats, despite Pant’s proven match-winning abilities.
“KL Rahul is a great player, but I don’t understand what the team management sees in him that he plays Tests, ODIs, and everything. Meanwhile, Pant is sitting on the bench. This is how you ruin players. If a cricketer is left wondering whether he will play or not, he will go from hero to zero.”
KL Rahul’s Form and the Selection Debate
KL Rahul has been India’s first-choice ODI wicketkeeper since Pant’s unfortunate car accident in 2022. He was India’s No. 5 batter and wicketkeeper during the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he amassed 452 runs at an average of 49.77.
Rahul also played a crucial knock in India’s Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh, where he anchored the chase with an unbeaten 41 off 47 balls on a tough Dubai pitch.
Despite this, Wassan and many others feel Pant’s aggressive batting and ability to change the course of a match single-handedly make him a more dangerous option in ODIs.
Will Gambhir Stick to His Choice?
With the high-stakes India vs Pakistan encounter coming up, it remains to be seen whether Gambhir and the team management will reconsider their wicketkeeping selection, or if Rahul will continue to be India’s preferred choice behind the stumps.
For now, Pant remains on the bench, and Wassan’s concerns about India potentially wasting one of their biggest match-winners continue to fuel the debate.
