Iyer scored 181 runs in 3 ODIs v England, while Rahul kept wickets over Pant, who was benched.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir and BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar reportedly were involved in a heated discussion over Shreyas Iyer’s spot in the Indian XI and debated over Rishabh Pant not getting a chance in the recent three-ODI series against England.
This comes on the heels of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 as India prepped for the event with a three-match ODI series against England. India won all three ODIs with conviction, and the biggest positive that the Men in Blue found from the series was their middle-order clicking.
Shreyas Iyer shined in the middle order with crucial scores in all three ODIs, but there was seemingly uncertainty surrounding the middle-order slots, with head coach Gautam Gambhir confirming that he will continue to favor a left-right combination in the line-up, meaning that there are no permanent positions.
Virat Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma found their stride in parts, as India outperformed England with the bat thanks to a strong middle-order performance. Iyer was the leading run-getter in the middle-order with two fifties in his tally of 181 runs at 60.33.
However, a report in the Times of India stated that there was a heated discussion over Iyer's retention. It also stated that the Gautam Gambhir-led team management went against selector Ajit Agarkar by preferring KL Rahul as the wicketkeeper over Rishabh Pant in the ODI series.
During the Champions Trophy presser, Agarkar had stated that Rishabh Pant would be the first-choice wicketkeeper-batter for the ICC tournament and the England ODIs. But both Rohit and Gambhir sought continuity as Rahul featured in all three games against England.
"Selection committee chief Ajit Agarkar, while announcing the Champions Trophy squad, had claimed Pant was the first-choice wicketkeeper. As it turned out, Pant is the only player in the squad who didn't get a game in the three ODIs in the England series. Sources indicated that there had been heated debate in the selection meeting around retaining Shreyas Iyer in the team and over the second wicketkeeper's slot," read the TOI report.
In his final press conference before India's departure for the Champions Trophy, Gambhir reaffirmed Rahul as the first-choice wicketkeeper over Pant.
“Ultimately, it’s very difficult to talk about individuals, but all I can say is that if Pant is a part of the squad, he will get an opportunity. But at the moment, obviously, KL is our number one wicketkeeper, and he’s delivered for us. When you have two wicketkeepers in the squad, you can’t play both with the kind of quality we’ve got. Hopefully, whenever he [Pant] gets an opportunity, he should be ready for it,” Gambhir said.