India's Squad For Champions Trophy: Rishabh Pant Dropped From 15-Member Side By Ex-Stars

Former India cricketer-turned-pundit Sanjay Manjrekar made a rather bold call while picking his ideal squad for the Champions Trophy 2025.

While most of India's ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad will be easy picks, some crucial areas continue to divide opinion among former cricketers, experts and fans. One of the contentious positions is the role of the wicket-keeper batter in Team India's setup, with three top quality candidates for the role. KL Rahul has been the established wicket-keeper batter in ODIs for quite some time, while Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson are also very much in the mix. Now, Former India cricketers Sanjay Manjrekar and Sanjay Bangar have stirred debate by leaving out Pant from their 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy.

Pant returned to competitive ODI cricket only in 2024, when India toured Sri Lanka for a three-match series. However, neither Manjrekar nor Bangar were in favour of picking Pant.

"Pant was away from cricket for a long time. He did make a good return in T20Is and Test, but he never had that good form in ODI cricket. KL Rahul should be your first-choice keeper," said former India batting coach Bangar, speaking on Star Sports, according to Hindustan Times.

Manjrekar batted for the selection of Sanju Samson over Rishabh Pant as India's back-up wicketkeeper for the Champions Trophy.