Champions Trophy: ‘I won’t lie’: KL Rahul admits to competition with Rishabh Pant | Cricket News

L-R: Rishabh Pant, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul (BCCI video seize)

The Times of India in Dubai: It can by no means be straightforward to compete with a particular expertise like Rishabh Pant. Just ask KL Rahul. Ever for the reason that Indian crew administration determined to persist with Rahul because the wicketkeeper-batter of alternative in ODIs — regardless of the return of Pant — Rahul’s spot has been underneath scrutiny. Many former cricketers and specialists have expressed their desire for Pant, together with former India head coach Ravi Shastri, who earlier expressed shock {that a} participant of Pant’s talents was sitting out.
In the method, the 32-year-old Rahul’s great file on the No. 5 spot in ODIs have been ignored. In India’s run to the ultimate of the 2023 ODI World Cup, Rahul stroked 452 runs in 11 matches at a median of 75.33, with 100 and two fifties (strike charge 90.76).
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Speaking to reporters on Friday on the Dubai International Stadium, Rahul, who cracked a fluent 47-ball 41 not out in opposition to Bangladesh in India’s opening match, admitted to feeling the strain of competition with Pant within the ODI crew.
Rahul admitted there was all the time a temptation for the coach and the captain to play Pant forward of him. “There is (competition with Pant), I won’t lie. He’s obviously a very talented player and he’s shown all of us what he can do and how aggressive and how quickly he can change the game,” Rahul mentioned.

“So, there’s always the temptation for the team with the captain and coach to either play him or play me. For me, if I’m given the opportunity, I try and see what I can do best. I’m not trying to compete with Rishabh or I’m not trying to play like him. When he gets his opportunities, I’m sure he’s not going to try to play like anybody else. He’s picked on the basis of how he can play and what he can provide for the team. The same applies to me. So, I try to do what I do best and try to stick to my game,” Rahul mentioned.
Rahul hinted that it was unlikely Pant would get to play a single recreation within the Champions Trophy due to the character of the match, stating that there was simply sooner or later’s hole between India’s closing group recreation and the semifinals, which signifies that India are possible to stick with the identical taking part in XI.
“Luckily, I am not part of the leadership group. I don’t have to make that decision. But I’m sure there will be some temptation to try out players who have not gotten a game. I don’t think that will happen in the Champions Trophy, because there is just one day’s break between the final group stage game and the semifinal and we’ve got a six-day break. We probably want all players to play the game and get a little bit of time in the middle. That is my version. I don’t know, it might be very different tomorrow,” Rahul mentioned.

Refreshingly for a participant who’s been taking part in worldwide cricket for a decade now, Rahul takes criticism of his strike charge — it is a wholesome 87.74 in ODIs — constructively. He confessed that there have been occasions when maybe he might have batted quicker, like within the 2023 ODI World Cup closing in Ahmedabad in opposition to Australia, when he crawled to a 107-ball 66 as India folded up for 240 and misplaced the match by six wickets. It was an innings for which the Karnataka cricketer remains to be trolled.
“Look, it’s been there for quite a few years. I’m quite used to seeing it and hearing it and reading about it. Sometimes, I just sit back and see whether the criticism is valid,” Rahul mentioned.
Rahul allayed any health issues round India captain Rohit Sharma and pacer Mohammed Shami, who each went out of the sector over the last recreation in opposition to Pakistan. “Fitness-wise, everything seems pretty okay. There are no real concerns about anyone missing, as far as I know. Everyone has been at the gym, everyone has been in training,” Rahul mentioned.