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Star batter KL Rahul did not travel with the rest of the Rohit Sharma-led squad when they arrived in Dubai for the Champions Trophy 2025 which is set to start from February 19. According to reports in the Times of India, Rahul travelled separately in a different car to reach the team hotel after landing in the UAE.
KL Rahul reaches team hotel with separate car
Team India departed from India to Dubai on Saturday, February 15th, for the tournament. Upon their arrival in the UAE, a large crowd of fans gathered at the airport to welcome the team.
The arrival of Team India in Dubai for the Champions Trophy 2025 was met with enthusiastic cheers from fans. The excitement began as head coach Gautam Gambhir led the team out of the airport, followed by Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and Hardik Pandya, who all received a rousing welcome and acknowledged the fans as they boarded the team bus.
The crowd erupted when captain Rohit Sharma emerged. The Indian skipper even paused to give instructions to a security official amidst the cheers. However, KL Rahul's absence became noticeable as he was not seen with the team and was not on the team bus that departed for the hotel. It later came to light that Rahul exited the airport approximately 20 minutes after the rest of the team and traveled to the hotel in a separate car. Rohit was spotted waiting at the team bus and speaking with a support staff member.
KL Rahul will be India's preferred wicketkeeper Champions Trophy 2025. India's Head coach Gautam Gambhir made the announcement following the ODI series against England.
Addressing questions about Rishabh Pant's position in the team, particularly in light of KL Rahul's recent performance, Gambhir stated that they would continue to support Rahul. He made it clear that Rahul would be the primary wicketkeeper for the Champions Trophy, indicating that Pant would have to wait for his opportunity.
KL Rahul's ODI form in recent years, particularly batting in the middle order, has been exceptional. He has maintained an average of over 50 at no.5 position and played a crucial role in India's World Cup 2023 campaign. India's Champions Trophy 2025's campaign will kick off with a clash against Bangladesh on February 20. They will then face their arch-rivals Pakistan on February 24 and will round up their league-stage match with a battle against New Zealand on March 2.
India's Champions Trophy squad:
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy.
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