Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has shared his views on India’s wicketkeeping debate for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, with Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, KL Rahul and Dhruv Jurel in line for the main and backup keeping options.
Basit Ali believes Rishabh Pant’s skill set puts him ahead of KL Rahul for the upcoming prestigious tournament. He said that Rishabh Pant should be India’s first choice and Sanju Samson the second option, which will make it difficult for KL Rahul to secure a place in the Indian team as the main wicket-taker.
Basit Ali picks Rishabh Pant over KL Rahul as India’s first wicketkeeper for ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Rishabh Pant may not have played many ODIs since returning to action after his horrific car accident, but his superb wicketkeeping and explosive batting, along with his past performances, make him the favorite to be India’s first choice wicketkeeper for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. .
On the other hand, Sanju Samson has also emerged as a strong contender for the role after his explosive performances as an opener in T20I cricket. After Rohit Sharma’s T20I retirement, Samson grabbed the opportunity with both hands as an opener, becoming the first player to score three centuries in a calendar year in T20I cricket.
Basit Ali said at the ICC event: “Rishabh Pant should be the first choice. Sanju Samson will be the second choice. I think it will be tough for KL Rahul.”
Players are not as fit on the field as he is: Basit Ali hails Virat Kohli’s fitness
Talking about the fittest player of the Indian cricket team, the former Pakistan coach praised Virat Kohli for being the fittest Indian cricketer. He noted that Virat Kohli’s fitness level is higher than even youngsters like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill.
He mentioned that Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill have potential but are no match for Virat Kohli on the ground, while highlighting the former India captain’s ability to run the ground such as slips, cover, middle and deep thanks to his superb fitness level.
Basit further remarked, “Virat Kohli has good fitness. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill are there but they are not top players. The players are not as physically fit as Virat. Like running on the ground, shouting slips, cover, in the middle or deep, on the four sides of the ground.”
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Basit Ali says Jasprit Bumrah is the best of them all ahead of ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Furthermore, Basit Ali also praised Jasprit Bumrah, saying that no player in the Indian team is currently at the same level as the pacer. He also noted that only Mohammed Shami has the potential to match Bumrah’s skill with the ball, but only if he is fully fit.
Basit signed off saying, “Jasprit Bumrah is the best of them all. You take the names Shami, Arshdeep and Siraj; no one is close to him. If anyone comes a little bit closer, it’s Shami too, if he’s fit.”
However, there are dark clouds over the availability of both Bumrah and Shami for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 due to their fitness. Along with the duo, India are also sweating over Kuldeep Yadav’s fitness as they are yet to announce the squad for the upcoming tournament.
