India will play its first match in CT 2025 against Bangladesh on Feb 20 in Dubai.
Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has asked India head coach Gautam Gambhir to put wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul at number five in the Champions Trophy playing XI. His comments came as Gambhir revealed that he would continue to prefer a left-right combination in the middle order, leaving Rahul's batting position uncertain.
The Indian team management was chastised during the first two matches of the recently finished home ODI series against England after Axar Patel was chosen to bat at No. 5 instead of Rahul. While the all-rounder benefited from his elevation, the wicketkeeper struggled at number six, making only 12 runs in two innings.
However, on his return to his original spot in the final tie in Ahmedabad, Rahul carved out a valuable knock of 40 off 29 in India's 142-run win.
“One thing they'll be happy about is that Virat Kohli got runs today. So Rohit's got runs. Gill, Shreyas...it's a pretty formidable start, I tell you that. I want KL Rahul at 5 because I want him to face many balls he got. He came in today with 17 overs to go. And when you come in with more time, you can build it. I don't think KL Rahul is the guy that comes in with three overs to go and hits you 30 or 12 balls. Rahul is the kind of guy that needs to get himself in inone-dayy cricket. The best chance to give him that time is to bat him at 5,” Pietersen told Star Sports.
Pietersen then shared his preferred India XI for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. India will play its first match in the event against Bangladesh on February 20 in Dubai.
In his XI, there was no place for pacer Harshit Rana, as Arshdeep Singh and Mohammad Shami were his chosen fast bowlers. Pietersen also chose Kuldeep Yadav as the sole specialist spinner ahead of Varun Chakravarthy.
“Chakravarthy's been very good, but I think Kuldeep has been very good in terms of what he's produced and the numbers that he's produced. I like the left-arm seamer, so that's why Arshdeep starts for me. You've got your three seamers there. Shami, Arshdeep and Hardik. Then you've got Jadeja, who's always my first pick. So Jadeja and the rest, Kuldeep, Axar,” he said.
Kevin Pietersen's India XI for Champions Trophy:
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav.