BCCI Overturns Rest Decision, KL Rahul Set To Play ODI Series Against England : Report

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India's experienced batter KL Rahul has been called up to participate in the three-match ODI series against England, which is scheduled to begin on February 6.

This decision marks a change in plans, as the selectors had initially decided to give him a break until the ICC Champions Trophy. However, they later reversed their decision, citing the need for Rahul to gain match practice ahead of the crucial tournament.

According to a report by The Times of India (TOI), the selectors believe that playing competitive matches in the England series will help Rahul fine-tune his form and readiness for the Champions Trophy, which is set to follow a hybrid model.

"The selectors initially decided to rest Rahul, who plays in the middle order and is a wicketkeeper in the ODIs, from the entire white-ball series against England at home. However, they had a rethink and the BCCI has now asked him to play in the ODI series so that he gains some match practice ahead of the Champions Trophy in February," the source told TOI.

During India's Test series in Australia, where the team's star-studded batting lineup largely faltered, KL Rahul stood out as one of the few batters who managed to score runs consistently. He finished as India's third-highest run-scorer in the series, accumulating 276 runs across 10 innings at an average of 30.66.

Despite being ahead in the race for selection, Rahul is competing for the wicketkeeper-batter role in the Champions Trophy squad with Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson. While Rahul was previously seen as a likely choice for the tournament, the selectors appear to have introduced a new dimension to their evaluation.

They now want him to prove his form and readiness in the upcoming ODI series against England, which could influence their final decision for the marquee event.

The Indian cricket board as per Cricbuzz has requested an extension from the ICC regarding the deadline for announcing the provisional squad for the ICC Champions Trophy. The ICC had initially set January 12 as the deadline for all participating teams to submit their preliminary squads. However, it appears that the Indian board may not be ready to finalize and announce their roster by that date.