Following a disastrous tour of Australia, Team India proved its mettle by delivering a top-class performance in the white-ball series against England. They swept the T20Is, winning 4-1, and then sealed a whitewash in the ODIs with 3-0. But deep beneath the surface of all these victories are increasing rumours of internal issues within the team.
Fresh Rift In the Indian Dressing Room
Two days prior to India’s first match of the 2025 Champions Trophy against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Stadium, there were reports of a split in the dressing room. As per a Times Now report, an experienced Indian cricketer is said to be angry with head coach Gautam Gambhir. The controversy is over the cricketer not being chosen as the first-choice wicketkeeper in the Champions Trophy team. Although the identity of the player is not confirmed, there are some probable candidates depending on the context of the report.
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Current Wicket-Keeper Unhappy With Gautam Gambhir
“Sources have exclusively confirmed to Times Now that a current India wicketkeeper is unhappy with head coach Gautam Gambhir. The player is currently not the first choice in the playing XI for ODIs. He feels that there is an external reason behind him losing his spot in the 50-over format,” the report mentioned.
Definitely Not KL Rahul
KL Rahul is India’s go-to wicketkeeper-batter for the Champions Trophy. Rahul has been a steady performer in the middle order for India, usually occupying the No.6 slot. Though he has always been an opening batter, his seamless adaptation to the middle order has been impressive. In ODIs, Rahul has scored 1438 runs with an average of 51.35 and strike rate of 92.17. Though Rahul did not receive much chance to bat in recent England ODIs, Gambhir asserted that Rahul would open India’s keeper-batter in Champions Trophy against Bangladesh.
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Rishabh Pant’s Injury Struggle
Along with Rahul, Rishabh Pant is also a keeper-batter in India’s Champions Trophy team. Pant’s availability for the tournament, however, is now in doubt after he hurt his knee during a training session on Sunday in Dubai. He was limping on Monday’s practice, which has raised concerns over his fitness. India would be hoping that Pant’s injury is not too serious, as he had sat out the ODIs against England and might be a valuable resource for the team in the Champions Trophy.
Is It Sanju Samson And Ishan Kishan?
Two other wicketkeeper-batters, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan, were in contention for a spot in the Champions Trophy squad but ultimately missed out. Samson, who has established himself as India’s first-choice keeper in T20Is, was not included in the squad. Meanwhile, Kishan’s exclusion followed his failure to comply with BCCI’s instructions to participate in domestic cricket. Prior to this, Kishan was a staple in India’s white-ball team and even recorded a double hundred against Bangladesh. He was also India’s back-up keeper for the ODI World Cup.
