New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) rejected KL Rahul’s request for a break from the limited-overs series against England. Rahul who is no longer part of the T20I squad asked for the rest from ODI matches.
Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee accepted his request initially but as per the Times of India report, they have decided to change the decision on Saturday morning. Rahul was one of the few Indian batters who batted brilliantly on the fast wickets against Australian pacers.
The report claimed that the Agarkar-led selection committee “had a rethink” about the decision and then asked Rahul to be available for the three-match ODI series against England that begins on February 6. The ODI series against Jos Buttler and Co. will be Team India’s chance to finalise the combination for the Champions Trophy, which starts on February 19 in Pakistan and UAE.
“The selectors initially decided to rest Rahul, who plays in the middle order and is a wicketkeeper in the ODIs, from the entire white-ball series against England at home. However, they had a rethink and the BCCI has now asked him to play in the ODI series so that he gains some match practice ahead of the Champions Trophy in February,” the source was quoted in the Times of India report.
Why BCCI rejected KL Rahul’s request
The decision was taken to give much-needed match practice to Rahul, who is the first-choice keeper in the ODIs ahead of Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant. He was dropped from the third ODI against Sri Lanka which was India’s last 50-over match. He has performed brilliantly in the last couple of years while opening the innings and in the middle order which has given him the edge.
The Men in Blue haven’t played an ODI game since August 7 and the selectors want key players to be available for the ODI series against England. Rahul was the third-highest run-getter for India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, scoring 276 runs in 10 innings at an average of 30.66.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) rejected KL Rahul’s request for a break from the three-match ODI series against England. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
