REPORT: Ajit Agarkar denies rest to KL Rahul in the ODI series against England ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy
KL Rahul wanted a break in the ODI series against England after the long Border-Gavaskar series in Australia.
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KL Rahul (Image via BCCI/X)
After the end of the taxing five-match Test series in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 in Australia, which India lost 3-1, senior Indian batter KL Rahul asked the BCCI and the selectors for a break in the upcoming ODI series against England at home. However, the Chief Selector, Ajit Agarkar, has denied him permission for a break given the importance of the ODI series ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy in February.
The BGT was really tough for Rahul, as his batting position was not fixed in the series. He opened the innings with Yashasvi Jaiswal in the absence of regular captain Rohit Sharma in the first Test. Even after the arrival of Sharma, he batted at the opening spot in the second and third Tests and had to always face the threat of the new ball. However, Rahul was moved to number three in the fourth Test before making a comeback in the opening spot in the final Test match.
Rahul wanted a bit of rest in the ODI series ahead of the Champions Trophy. However, the selectors felt that it was essential for all the players to be available for that ODI series as it is the only and last bit of preparation for the team ahead of the upcoming ICC tournament.
The Times of India reported that the BCCI decided to give him a break at first but later refused to do so as India have not played any ODI cricket since August 2024 and Rahul needs to have match practice in this format before going into the ICC Champions Trophy.
The BCCI selection committee headed by former pacer Ajit Agarkar has decided to reject KL Rahul's request for a break from the entire white-ball home series against England, starting January 22 in Kolkata with the five-match T20I series. pic.twitter.com/gJJtEhKQZn
— News Daily 24 (@nd24_news) January 11, 2025
KL Rahul has been the mainstay of the ODI team for quite some time
Rahul has been best performing in the ODI format and has been a mainstay at number five in the ODI team. He will be competing for a place in the XI in the Champions Trophy with Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson. However, the Karnataka batter’s experience and his record in this format will give him an advantage over his competitors.
Rahul has scored 2851 runs in 77 ODI matches at an average of 49.16 with seven centuries and 18 half-centuries with a strike-rate of 87.56. He was dropped from the playing XI in the third and final ODI of the series against Sri Lanka. However, Rahul will still be preferred to start at number five due to his overwhelming performance in the ODI World Cup 2023.
The three-match ODI series against England will kickstart on February 6. The series will be very important for India to sort out their best playing XI for the Champions Trophy and also for the players to adjust to the ODI format after a long time.
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Rohit Sarkar
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