Rahul likely to skip white-ball series at home against England

While the high-profile India batting crumbled in the Test series in Australia, Rahul was among the few batters who got runs

New Delhi: India batter KL Rahul is likely to be rested for the white-ball series against England beginning in Kolkata on January 22.

The home series comprises five T20s and three ODIs which will be more significant considering it precedes the Champions Trophy starting February 19.

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However, Rahul will be available for selection for the Champions Trophy. India will play all their games in Dubai while the rest of the matches will be held in host nation Pakistan.

“He has sought a break for the England series but he will be available for selection for Champions Trophy,” a BCCI source said.

While the high-profile India batting crumbled in the Test series in Australia, Rahul was among the few batters who got runs. He was the third highest run getter for India with 276 runs in 10 innings at an average of 30.66.

Though ahead in the pecking order, Rahul is fighting for the wicketkeeper batter’s slot in the Champions Trophy squad alongside Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson. Rahul had also sought rest from Karnataka’s matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Their quarterfinal will be played over the weekend.

It remains to be seen if he will be available for Karnataka’s Ranji Trophy campaign with head coach Gautam Gambhir highlighting the need to play domestic cricket for all India cricketers post the series loss in Australia.