Team India is gearing up for the upcoming white-ball series against England, starting on January 22, followed by the ICC Champions Trophy, which begins on February 19.

Among the key updates, KL Rahul is set to be rested for the England series but is likely to be included in the squad for the Champions Trophy.

A source quoted by The Times of India stated, “Rahul has been assured of his spot in the Champions Trophy. Hence, he will be rested from the England series.”

Although Rahul has not been a part of India's recent T20 setup, he remains India's first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in ODIs. His consistent performances in the middle order make him a preferred option over Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson.

During the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, Rahul played a pivotal role, scoring 452 runs, including a century, while stabilizing the middle order.

KL Rahul's Performance in Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25

Rahul's form was under scrutiny before the series, especially after unimpressive outings in two warm-up games against Australia A. However, he regained confidence as the series progressed, scoring 276 runs in 10 innings at an average of 30.66, including two half-centuries.

Following the grueling five-match Test series in Australia, Rahul decided to skip the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy knockout stages for Karnataka to recover and prepare for future challenges.

Champions Trophy squad announcement last date

There is already a clear instruction from the ICC that all participating teams need to submit their provisional squad list by Sunday, January 12. So far, England has announced their Champions Trophy squad, while fans are eagerly waiting for other teams to reveal their squads soon.