"You have already demoted him in the batting order, so you might think of playing Pant" - Aakash Chopra on KL Rahul ahead of IND vs ENG 2025 3rd ODI

Former India player Aakash Chopra has acknowledged that the Men in Blue have a difficult task of choosing between KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant for the third ODI against England. He opined that Pant could be in the team management's thoughts as Rahul was demoted in the batting order and failed in the first two games.

The third and final ODI between India and England will be played in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, February 12. Rahul managed only 12 runs in two innings in the hosts' four-wicket wins in the first two games.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener reckoned that Rohit Sharma and company might be tempted to play Pant instead of Rahul in the third ODI.

"It's a big question whether you should play Rahul or Pant. There are a few theories for that. One is asking what's the problem in scoring runs if he is playing at No. 6. There is no pressure as well and that he just needs to go and take singles. I was reading a quote from Zaheer Khan and he said that the confidence goes down when you demote someone in the batting order," he said (8:10).

"When you go to bat, you have everything to lose and nothing to gain. If you need 25 runs to win, you can't score 70 runs. However, you can get out for sure and he got out both times. So what about Rahul now? You have already demoted him in the batting order, so you might think of playing Pant," Chopra added.

Aakash Chopra recalled India dropping KL Rahul and playing Rishabh Pant in the final ODI of the three-match series against Sri Lanka last year. While Rahul scored 31 runs in the first ODI and was dismissed for a duck in the second game against the Lankan Lions, Pant managed only six runs in his only knock.

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"If KL Rahul plays here, you will have to play him against Bangladesh" - Aakash Chopra on India's preferred wicketkeeper-batter for 2025 Champions Trophy

KL Rahul did a decent job behind the wickets in the first two ODIs against England. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra opined that India would have to play Rishabh Pant ahead of KL Rahul in the third ODI against England if the latter is not guaranteed a place in the playing XI for the 2025 Champions Trophy.

"If it's even slightly in your mind that Rahul may or may not be a part of your playing XI in the Champions Trophy, this is the time. Then play Pant here. If KL Rahul plays here, you will have to play him against Bangladesh. There are no two ways about it," he said (9:40).

The cricketer-turned-commentator reckoned that there could be two reasons behind Axar Patel's promotion to No. 5 in the batting order.

"We never talk about needing the left-right combination in the top four. You say you need a left-hander at No. 5. You can require the left-right combination both at the start and later, but you said you need it at No. 5. That could be one thinking or the other thought process might be that Axar Patel isn't that good at lower-order hitting," Chopra observed.

Aakash Chopra acknowledged that he isn't aware of the reason behind the move. However, he added that he would keenly watch Wednesday's game as it would give him an idea about India's philosophy heading into the Champions Trophy.