Cricket teams from all around the globe are bracing themselves for the upcoming Champions Trophy, 2025. Pakistan will host the much coveted competition. After winning the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, team India will look to win the Champions trophy. The team won this tournament last time in 2013. Amid speculations about the selection of squad, BCCI selection committee’s Ajit Agarkar opens up on comparing KL Rahul with Rishabh Pant for the Champions Trophy.
The Indian team once had several all-format stars, including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah. KL Rahul, initially part of this group, lost his T20I spot this year and missed the T20 World Cup and tours of Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. He’s now in the ODI squad for the series against Sri Lanka, likely as a backup for Rishabh Pant.
Ajit Agarkar speaks on Rishabh Pant
Ajit Agarkar spoke to the media on Monday in Mumbai before the team’s departure for Pallekele, where India will play three T20Is against Sri Lanka starting July 27. Agarkar explained that the selectors aim to ease Pant into each format without overwhelming him.
“Rishabh has been out for a long time. So we want to bring him back without burdening him. Someone who has come back after a long time, you need to bring them back in the scheme of things gradually.” He said.
Rishabh Pant has recently made his comeback after facing a nearly fatal accident back in December, 2022. Pant also said that him being alive, let alone playing for the team, is no more than a miracle.
Agarkar spoke about KL Rahul in the same statement. He added that Rahul is advised to hit the reset button as the side builds towards preparing for the Champions Trophy.“KL, one of the feedbacks he has got is ‘you’ve got to hit the reset button’,” he said.
ICC grants PCB a massive sum to organise the Champions Trophy 2025
Amidst the ongoing tension between the BCCI and PCB, the ICC has approved the budget for the Champions Trophy. This decision was announced on the last day of the ICC’s annual conference in Colombo.
The PCB has allocated Rs 12.80 billion to renovate the venues for the 2025 Champions Trophy in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi. The budget was prepared by ICC’s chief finance officer, Ankur Khanna, and PCB’s chief finance officer, Javed Murtaza.
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