‘Done no wrong’: Aakash Chopra backs KL Rahul over Rishabh Pant as India’s first-choice ODI wicketkeeper

“There are 2 schools of thought. One is that you person each right-handers, Shubman Gill is determination with Rohit Sharma, past Virat Kohli, Rahul and Hardik Pandya. So don’t you privation a left-hander there? People who travel with that reasoning are saying Rishabh Pant should beryllium played,” Chopra said connected his YouTube channel.

Rahul has been among the astir prolific middle-order bats successful ODIs implicit the past 4 years and besides played a important relation successful the ODI World Cup successful Pant’s absence. Batting astatine No. 4 and 5, Rahul has amassed implicit 1700 runs with a 55-plus mean with 13 50-plus scores. On the different hand, Pant has aggregated 808 runs successful the slots successful 23 innings, averaging lone 35 for a solitary hundred.

Who should beryllium india's wicket keeper for the Champions Trophy: Pant oregon KL? – was 1 of the absorbing questions I got connected X yesterday. Have answered a fewer much #AskAakash questions successful today's video 👇

Checkout #AapKiVani now: https://t.co/dwRFbGk55H pic.twitter.com/FfNAeeOWe2

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) February 4, 2025

Chopra has urged India to persist with Rahul who played 2 of the 3 ODIs against Sri Lanka past twelvemonth earlier Pant replaced him successful the 3rd ODI.

“What goes successful KL Rahul’s favour is what incorrect has helium done. Just due to the fact that his sanction is Rahul, volition you support drumming him? Will you support getting him to bash each the jobs, whether it’s keeping, going down oregon up the order, and serving the drinks? No, that’s not going to happen,” helium added. “He played good successful the World Cup. I inactive retrieve the Australia lucifer astatine Chepauk. Then helium continuously scored alright. He was criticized a batch for batting a small dilatory successful the final, but we mightiness not person reached wherever we reached if helium had gotten retired alternatively of batting slow,” Chopra explained.

“I americium going with KL Rahul. I americium going with continuity. Why would you driblet idiosyncratic who hasn’t done thing incorrect conscionable due to the fact that idiosyncratic other does well? Rishabh Pant’s ODI grounds is simply a enactment successful progress. So Rahul should beryllium the frontrunner,” Chopra said.