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Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali shares his views on the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Indian wicketkeeping controversy Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, KL Raghu Erl and Dhruv Jurel will serve as primary and backup goalkeeper options.
Basit Ali believes Rishabh Pant’s skills keep him ahead of KL Rahul in the upcoming prestigious tournament. He said that Rishabh Pant should be the first choice of the Indian team and Sanju Samson will be the second choice, making it difficult for KL Rahul to get the main goalkeeper position in the Indian team.
Basit Ali picks Rishabh Pant over KL Rahul as India’s first-choice wicketkeeper for ICC Champions Trophy 2025
Rishabh Pant may not have played many ODIs since his return to action after a horrific car accident, but his stellar wicketkeeping and explosive batting, along with his past performances, make him a top choice for the upcoming ICC 2025 The favorite to be the first choice Indian goalkeeper in the Champions Trophy.
On the other hand, Sanju Samson has emerged as a strong contender for the role with his explosive performances in T20I cricket. After Rohit Sharma retired from T20I, Samson grabbed the opportunity with both hands and became the first player in the history of T20I cricket to score three centuries in a year.
“Rishabh Pant should be the first choice. Sanju Samson will be the second choice. I think it will be difficult for KL Rahul,” Basit Ali said at an ICC event.
Players don’t have ground fitness like him: Buster Ali praises Virat Kohli’s fitness
Talking about the fittest player in the Indian cricket team, the former Pakistan selector praised Virat Kohli as the fittest cricketer in the country. He pointed out that Virat Kohli’s fitness level is even higher than youngsters like Shasthvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill.
He mentioned that Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill have potential but they don’t match Virat Kohli’s ground fitness as he highlighted the former India skipper’s run on the ground The ability to make moves, such as slipping, covering, midfield and deep, is due to his peak fitness level.
Basit further noted, “Virat Kohli is very physical. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill are also among them, but they are not top players. Players are not as good as Virat That level of ground fitness. It’s like running on the ground, shouting from all four sides of the ground, from the slide, the bunker, the middle or the deep.”
Basit Ali says Jasprit Bumrah is the best ahead of ICC Champions Trophy 2025
Additionally, Basit Ali also heaped praises on Jasprit Bumrah and said that there is no player in the Indian team who is at the same level as the pacer at the moment. He also pointed out that only Mohammad Shami has the potential to match Bumrah’s ball-handling skills, but only if he is fully fit.
Basit concluded by saying, “Jasprit Bumrah is the best among them. Your names are Shami, Arshdeep and Siraj “No one comes close to him. If anyone comes close, it’s Shami, if he’s fit.”
However, there are dark clouds over their participation in the upcoming 2025 ICC Champions Trophy due to Bumrah and Shami’s fitness. Like the duo, India are also concerned about Kuldeep Yadav’s fitness as they are yet to announce their squad for the upcoming tournament.
