By Karan Agrawal 
The Indian selectors have made a U-Turn on KL Rahul’s request of not to consider him for the home ODI series against England which is India’s only ODI assignment before the Champions Trophy.
The Decision
According to a report in Times Of India, “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 was quoted in the report.
The Request
Earlier this week a report stated that KL has made himself unavailable for the home ODI series against England seeking some rest after a long and challenging Australian tour where he was among the top three Indian batters in an otherwise struggling batting lineup. “He has sought a break for the England series, but he will be available for selection for the Champions Trophy,” a BCCI source told PTI on Thursday.
The Reason
The selector’s decision might have been influenced by the fact that the ODI series against England is India’s last chance to finalize the combination before the Champions Trophy
The Combination
Rahul who was exceptional behind the stumps during the 2023 ODI World Cup held in India might not be India’s first-choice wicketkeeper in the Champions Trophy scheduled to take place in Pakistan and Dubai given the fact that Rishabh Pant is fit and available for the multination tournament and also because he gives a left-handed batting option in the middle order which India lacked in the 2023 World Cup.
The Choice
With Yashasvi Jaiswal all set to be picked as the backup opener, it is safe to say that KL might find himself keeping wickets if the team management decides to give Rishabh rest in a match or two.
The Opportunity
Rahul’s availability for the home series against England means that Sanju Samson who has made himself available for selection might not get a chance to continue the good form that he had shown in the T20I series against South Africa in order to be among the standbys for the eight-team tournament.