ICC Champions Trophy 2025: MS Dhoni’s best friend Rishabh Pant fires him a big warning: “If he makes a mistake…”

As India begin their preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy, former batsman Suresh Raina has urged Rishabh Pant to take more responsibility in his batting. The left-handed batsman has been named in the Indian squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy. The same team will face England in a three-match ODI series.

Rishabh Pant is one of the two wicketkeeper-batsmen in the Indian team, the other being KL Rahul. As of now, it remains unclear whether the Delhi star will be ahead of Rahul in donning the wicket-keeping gloves.

With his performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup as well as his impressive performance in the recent Test series against Australia, many believe that Rahul will be the team’s first-choice wicket-keeper.

While Rishabh Pant has been a key member of India’s Test squad, the same cannot be said for his place in the ODI and T20I squad.

The left-hander hasn’t really been able to deliver consistent performances in the limited-overs format. He scored a modest 871 runs in 31 matches at an average of less than 32 in ODIs.

Also Read: Watch: Rishabh Pant’s savage jibe at Preity Zinta’s Punjab Kings: “There was only one strain…”

Rishabh Pant has improved a lot: Suresh Raina.

Rishabh Pant’s choice did not go down well with many. Many believe that the likes of Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan were better options. Kishan was part of India’s squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup while Samson scored two centuries in the T20I series against South Africa in November last year.

However, Raina has thrown his support behind Pant, saying his former India teammate has improved his wicketkeeping. Raina said the upcoming three-match ODI series against England will be a good opportunity for Pant.

“He has improved a lot in wicketkeeping, Rishabh Pant has to play more responsibly because this is a 50-over tournament,” Raina told Star Sports.

“You’ve got 3 one-dayers in the upcoming tournament against England, which will be a good opportunity for Rishabh Pant,” he added.

Rishabh Pant can finish the game:

Raina further said that Rishabh Pant can play a very important role for Team India in ODIs. Former India batsman Yashasvi Jaiswal has said that if Pant is not in the playing eleven, he can play the finishing role for Team India. He also advised Pant to take his time in the middle before going for the big shots.

“Depends on how they play. I think if Yashasvi doesn’t play at the top, Rishab Pant will play a very important role. He can bat at number four and come in to bat before Hardik because if Rishab continues to play 40-50 deliveries, then he can complete the game,” Raina said.

“He has to tell himself that if I play fifty deliveries, I can score 80-100 runs, but it’s important to spend some time. If he goes wrong, then that will cost him a lot because he has that talent. He’s got that talent, he’ll be the X factor for India’s team.”

Meanwhile, the Champions Trophy is said to be held between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates from February 19. India play all their matches in UAE. India are in Group A with Pakistan, Bangladesh and New Zealand.