Having finalized Team India's Champions Trophy squad for the 2025 edition, stunning details have emerged as reports indicate that a heated selection meeting took place over retaining Shreyas Iyer in the squad over the second wicket-keeper's slot. According to the sources of the Times of India, the heated selection meeting happened as head coach Gautam Gambhir went against selector Ajit Agarkar by backing KL Rahul.
Despite Agarkar confirming that Rishabh Pant was their first-choice keeper for the Champions Trophy and the ODI series against England, Gambhir and captain Rohit Sharma played Rahul in all three 50-over matches. Rahul, who had an unforgettable 2023 World Cup with the bat, failed to touch that level against England, yielding scores of 2, 10 and 40.
A report from TOI read:
"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."
"When you have two wicketkeepers in the squad, you can’t play both with the kind of quality we’ve got" - Gautam Gambhir
During an interaction before leaving for the Champions Trophy, Gambhir once again asserted that Rahul is their first-choice keeper-batter but hopes for Rishabh Pant to be ready if the opportunity comes. He said, as quoted by The Hindustan Times:
"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
