India has picked a strong top-order for Champions Trophy 2025 which will be starting from February 19. One takeaway from recently concluded ODI series against England is that Shreyas Iyer looks consistent and in explosive form. Despite the solid-showing there is still a lot of uncertainty regarding his position in the final playing XI.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s Form
With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma trying to fight back for form India’s middle order has been very successful against England. The players in positions 4-7 collectively amassed 375 runs in three innings, with a strike rate of 116.42, including three half-centuries.
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Will Shreyas Iyer Make The Cut?
Among all the middle-order batters Shreyas Iyer has stood out as the leading run-scorer, he made two fifties and accumulated 181 runs at an average of 60.33. A report by the Times of India has stated that Iyer’s place in the squad was debated in a “Heated” selection meeting. The Indian Team management led by Gautam Gambhir has picked KL Rahul over Shreyas Iyer.
Selection Committee’s Decision
“Selection committee chief Ajit Agarkar, while announcing the Champions Trophy squad, had claimed Pant was the first-choice wicketkeeper. As it turned out, Pant is the only player in the squad who didn’t get a game in the three ODIs in the England series. Sources indicated that there had been heated debate in the selection meeting around retaining Shreyas Iyer in the team and over the second wicketkeeper’s slot,” read the TOI report.
What Gautam Gambhir Said In The Last Press Conference
In the final press conference before departing for the Champions Trophy, Gambhir confirmed Rahul would be the first-choice wicketkeeper, ahead of Pant, for the upcoming tournament.
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“Ultimately, it’s very difficult to talk about individuals, but all I can say is that if Pant is a part of the squad, he will get an opportunity. But at the moment obviously, KL is our number one wicketkeeper, and he’s delivered for us. When you have two wicketkeepers in the squad, you can’t play both with the kind of quality we’ve got. Hopefully, whenever he [Pant] gets an opportunity, he should be ready for it,” Gambhir said.
