KL Rahul set to be rested for white-ball series against England ahead of 2025 Champions Trophy - Reports

Team India wicket-keeper batter KL Rahul will reportedly not be part of the squad for the upcoming white-ball series against England. He has been a vital cog in the ODI batting unit since his move to the middle order, but has not played a T20I game since the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final in Adelaide.

Rahul was one of the few positives for India in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar series. The Karnataka batter once again emerged as a candidate to open the innings in red-ball cricket following his heroics Down Under.

He was handed the chance to open following Rohit Sharma's unavailability, and held onto the spot after his heroics in Perth, barring a brief switch to No. 3 in the Boxing Day Test.

After a gruelling tour of Australia, several senior players are touted to be rested from the England home series. Although the upcoming series marks India's sole preparation avenue for the Champions Trophy, workload management might see a blend of first-choice players and members from the second-string unit comprising the squad.

According to a report by the Times of India, KL Rahul is a sureshot inclusion for the 2025 Champions Trophy.

“Rahul has been assured of his spot in the Champions Trophy. Hence, he will be rested from the England series,” a source tracking developments told TOI.

KL Rahul led Team India in the ODI series after the 2023 ODI World Cup, and was also part of the 0-2 series loss against Sri Lanka in August 2024.

KL Rahul recently opted out of the Vijay Hazare Trophy knockouts

According to a recent report by Sportstar, the wicket-keeper has opted to take a break following an intense Border-Gavaskar campaign. As a result, he will not be available for the upcoming Vijay Hazare Trophy knockout stage, scheduled to commence from January 11 onwards. Karnataka have qualified for the final eight, and will face Baroda in Vadodara.

The ODI series against England will begin from February 6, while the second half of the Ranji Trophy will kickstart from January 23 onwards. It remains to be seen whether the wicket-keeper declares himself available for the first-class tournament.