Rishabh Pant had a massive injury scare ahead of India's campaign opener against Bangladesh on Thursday, February 20. The Indian team has already landed in Dubai and are down to their practice sessions.
The ICC Champions Trophy begins from February 19 and India's campaign begins against Bangladesh on February 20. The team is down to their practice sessions and their training intensity.
India already have Jasprit Bumrah ruled out of the tournament as he has not yet recovered from his lower back injury. Now this injury scare to Rishabh Pant has raised a concern with the Indian team.
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Watch - Rishabh Pant Hit On His Knee During Practice Session
Pant was seen clutching his left knee after he was hit by a shot from Hardik Pandya during India's practice session. He immediately needed attention from the physio who assured that the southpaw is fine.
Pant has had a tough time in the last couple of years. He met with a near-fatal accident in December 2022 which kept him out of the game for more than a year. He missed the 2023 IPL and the 2023 ODI World Cup at home.
He made a comeback to competitive cricket in IPL 2024 and then played in the T20 World Cup 2024. Since then he has played Test matches for India but has been kept out of the ODI side. Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul are India's two keeper-batters picked for the Champions Trophy 2025.
Rahul played ahead of Pant in the ODI series against England and it looks like he will play ahead of the southpaw in the Champions Trophy as well. A TOI report said that Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar had a heated debate about the batting positions of Rahul and Pant with Gambhir preferring Rahul over Pant. Agarkar, on the other hand, voted in favour of Pant over Rahul.
India's middle-order conundrum is one of the biggest talking points ahead of the start of their Champions Trophy campaign.
Also Read: Champions Trophy 2025: Pakistan Team Analysis & Rating
