"Not trying to compete with Rishabh" - KL Rahul opens up on rivalry with Pant ahead of 2025 Champions Trophy match against New Zealand

Team India's keeper-batter KL Rahul has acknowledged that there is pressure on him since he's being preferred over a big name like Rishabh Pant in the ODI playing XI. He, however, stated that he is not trying to compete with Pant and is focused on giving his best to the team whenever he gets the opportunity.

The Men in Blue have backed Rahul over Pant as the frontline keeper-batter in the one-day team for a while now. The former has done a good job with the gloves and has been in decent form with the bat as well.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of Team India's last 2025 Champions Trophy group match against New Zealand in Dubai, Rahul candidly confessed that there is pressure on him to perform consistently, knowing that Pant is waiting in the wings. The Karnataka batter said (as quoted by India Today):

"There is (competition with Pant), I won't lie. He is a very talented player and has shown all of us what he can do and how aggressively he can play and how quickly he can change the game. So there is always a temptation in the team with the captain and the coach to think if they should play him or play me."

"For me, whenever I get the opportunity, I try and see what I can do best. I am not trying to compete with Rishabh. I am not trying to play like him, or I am sure when he gets a chance, he is not trying to play like anybody else. He is picked on the basis of how he can play, and the same applies to me," the 32-year-old went on to add.

With Pant unavailable for the 2023 ODI World Cup due to the injuries he suffered following his car accident in December 2022, India backed Rahul as their keeper-batter in the playing XI. He impressed behind the stumps and also did a good job with the bat, scoring 452 runs in 10 innings at an average of 75.33 and a strike rate of 90.76. India have continued backing him even after Pant's return to the team.

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KL Rahul has a fantastic record in ODI cricket

While Rahul has been highly inconsistent in the Test format and may have played his last T20I for the Men in Blue, he has an excellent record in the one-day format. In 82 matches, he has scored 2,944 runs at an average of 48.26 and a strike rate of 87.74, with seven hundreds and 18 fifties.

The right-handed batter scored 40 off 29 balls in the third ODI against England in Ahmedabad and was unbeaten on 41 off 47 balls against Bangladesh in Dubai in India's opening match of the 2025 Champions Trophy.