Team India is impressively doing well in the currently underway Champions Trophy 2025, having won both their league games against Bangladesh and Pakistan. This admirable performance has earned the Indian side a semi-final berth, which has provided coach Gautam Gambhir and skipper Rohit Sharma with more than enough reasons to retain their winning lineup.
With Team India’s success at the tournament, it has increasingly become tough for some players to find a way into the playing XI, especially when no substantial changes are likely. Unfortunately for Rishabh Pant, that might mean that his Champions Trophy stint will be spent entirely on the bench.
Team India’s Consistency
There is a consistent success of India in the Champions Trophy with victories against Bangladesh and Pakistan, which has added a subtle blossoming of stability. Apart from these victories, India had dominated a three-match ODI series with England, winning them all.
This stability has ensured Gambhir and Sharma did not have to tinker with the team. The result here is that the present combination appears well settled down, and it’s hard to think how they would change their playing XI at the earliest.
Read More
Rishabh Pant’s Struggles to Find a Spot
Among the most prominent players benched in this tournament is Rishabh Pant. Though he’s a major part of the Indian team in the recent ODI series, Pant has spent the Champions Trophy thus far warming the bench.
KL Rahul, the team’s established wicketkeeper-batsman, has been performing well, and it’s becoming increasingly obvious that he’ll maintain that position. Pant, who has been a valuable addition to the team in previous matches, has not been given a chance to prove himself in this prestigious tournament.
Gautam Gambhir’s Clarification
Prior to the Champions Trophy, coach Gautam Gambhir clarified that KL Rahul’s place in the team was guaranteed because of his form and consistency. Gambhir’s pre-tournament declaration left very little scope for doubt, and he had laid stress on Rahul being the first-choice wicketkeeper of the team, while Pant would find a place only if the circumstances warranted it.
Read More
“Rahul is our number one wicketkeeper presently,” Gambhir had said, adding that Pant would be offered an opportunity one day, but presently there was no space in the team for two wicketkeeper-batsmen. This open communication pointed to Pant having a very slim chance of being in the playing XI, based on Rahul’s outstanding performances.
Rishabh Pant: The Costliest Player in the IPL
It makes Pant’s case even trickier given his IPL past. At the 2025 IPL mega-auction, Lucknow Super Giants acquired Pant for a whopping Rs 27 crore, which made him the costliest player in IPL history.
This is ample endorsement of his capabilities and worth in limited overs. But for that exclusion from India’s playing XI in the Champions Trophy, now one can see how difficult it is to find a place in a star-studded squad, especially if the team is regularly winning.
KL Rahul’s overall Performance in the Champions Trophy
While Pant has remained on the bench, KL Rahul has had a decent tournament so far. He received an opportunity to play with the bat in the game against Bangladesh, where he played 47 balls and scored 41 runs.
His batting work in the match was good, and his wicketkeeping has been of the highest quality. Rahul did try his luck with the bat against Pakistan but didn’t receive any opportunity, but his all-round contributions and capability of playing multiple roles for the side have made his spot in the playing XI unbreakable.
The Consequences of Pant
With the ongoing situation and Team India’s recent winning sequence, it does not look possible that Rishabh Pant will have an opportunity to play in the playing XI during the rest of the Champions Trophy. His role is uncertain, and with Gambhir’s stress on the continued wicketkeeping of KL Rahul, Pant may have to wait for his chance.
The sad truth for Pant is that his experience in the Champions Trophy may be limited to watching from the sidelines and providing encouragement to the team, even though he has such great potential and an IPL record.
Rishabh Pant, the costliest player in the history of IPL, is in a tricky situation in the current Champions Trophy. Even with his immense talent, Pant has not been able to find a place in the playing XI, with KL Rahul holding on to the wicketkeeper-batsman position.
With Team India’s solid performances and a well-established lineup, it doesn’t look like Pant will be given a chance to display his talent in the tournament. Although the future is unclear for Pant in the immediate future, he will certainly seek to capitalize on any future opportunities that present themselves.
ALSO READ: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: AFG vs ENG Fantasy Playing XI, And Full Squads
