"He's done exactly what the team required him to do" - Rohit Sharma opens up on the KL Rahul vs Rishabh Pant debate ahead of IND vs ENG 2025 ODIs

Team India captain Rohit Sharma has hinted that KL Rahul is likely to continue as the wicketkeeper-batter ahead of Rishabh Pant in the ODI series against England. Praising Rahul, he stated that the batter has done exactly what the team has asked of him, but added that it's a 'good headache' to have someone like Pant in the mix as well.

In Pant's unavailability due to his car accident, Rahul played as India's keeper-batter in the 2023 ODI World Cup. He had an impressive campaign, scoring 452 runs in 10 innings at an average of 75.33 and a strike rate of 90.76.

There has been some chatter over who should be India's keeper-batter in the one-day series against England. On the eve of the opening match at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur, Indian captain Rohit shared his thoughts on the debate. While he did not give a direct answer, he provided enough hints to conclude that Rahul will be preferred over Pant.

"Look, obviously KL has been keeping wickets for us in the ODI format for a number of years now and he's done pretty well. You know, if you look at the last 10 or 15 ODIs, he's done exactly what the team required him to do," Rohit said.

"Rishabh is well, you know, he's there. You know, we've got an option of playing either one of them. Both are quite capable of winning games on their own. So it's a good headache to have whether to play KL or Rishabh. But obviously looking at what we have done in the past, having that continuity is also very important for us. So that is where we stand as a team," the 37-year-old went on to add.

The three-match one-day series against England at home will be the Men in Blue's first ODI assignment since their 2-0 loss in Sri Lanka in August last year.

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Comparing KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant's ODI stats

Rahul has featured in 77 ODI matches so far. In 72 innings, he has scored 2,851 runs at an impressive average of 49.15 and a strike rate of 87.56, with the aid of seven hundreds and 18 half-centuries. His best of 112 came against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui in February 2020.

Pant has been part of 31 one-dayers so far. In 27 innings, he has scored 871 runs at an average of 33.50 and a strike rate of 106.21, with one hundred and five half-centuries. His best of 125* came against England in Manchester in July 2022.