Has Gautam Gambhir Got it Wrong by Picking Rishabh Pant Over KL Rahul vs England Ahead of ICC Champions Trophy 2025?

It was surprising to see Rishabh Pant being preferred over KL Rahul in the white-ball format, so did India coach Gautam Gambhir get it wrong? The belief is that Rahul is a better bet when it comes to white-ball because of the balance he provides. In the first two games against England, Pant has not been able to leave a mark with the bat and hence questions are bound to be raised. There is no doubt that Gambhir prefers left-handers over right-handers - the Yashasvi Jaiswal over Shreyas Iyer choice reflected it. The surprising bit is not the choice of Pant over Rahul, but it is the batting position. In the first two ODIs versus England at Nagpur and Cuttack, Pant did not get to bat at his ideal number, which is No. 5. Pant has been pushed to No. 6 as Axar Patel has got pushed up the order. No one is making a lot of hue and cry over it because the side is winning. But, is this the right formula? And also, is Rahul not going to be part of the playing XI at the Champions Trophy ? 

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‘Feel for KL Rahul’ - Kris Srikkanth

"Shreyas Iyer is in good form, which is a positive for India. But I feel for KL Rahul, it’s very unfortunate. Yes, Axar Patel is scoring 30s and 40s, but what they are doing with KL Rahul is not fair. Look at his record, he has excelled at No. 5, with a brilliant record. I don’t know what the team management is thinking regarding his position. If he bats at No. 6 or 7, he ends up scoring 6 or 7. It’s unfair," former India captain Kris Srikkanth said on his YouTube Channel.

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‘Hey, Gambhir, what you are doing is not right’ - Kris Srikkanth

"Hey, Gambhir, what you are doing is not right. Yes, depending on the situation, India can send Axar at No. 5, but it cannot be a consistent strategy. If you keep making such changes, you know what will happen—there will be a crucial match where everything falls apart. That’s what worries me. You can’t justify it by talking about the left-right combination. Does that mean you don’t care about a left-right combination in the top four? Why does it only matter at No. 5?" he added.

India have already taken an unassailable 2-0 lead against England. They have one more game left against England which would be a dead-rubber. The much-awaited Champions Trophy 2025 starts on February 19.