Dubai, Feb 28 After both Rohit Sharma and Mohammed Shami had left the ground with respective fitness issues during their win against Pakistan, wicket-keeper batter K.L. Rahul confirmed there are no concerns fitness-wise heading into the final group clash against New Zealand on Sunday. Both India and New Zealand have qualified for the semifinals from Group A, with hosts Pakistan and Bangladesh set to make early exits after consecutive defeats in the tournament.
The two sides last faced each other in an ODI in the 2023 World Cup semifinal, where Men in Blue sealed the tie by 70 runs at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to qualify for the summit clash. "Fitness-wise, everything seems pretty okay. There are no real concerns about anyone missing, as far as I know. Everyone has been at the gym; everyone has been in training," said KL Rahul.
With there being only one rest day between India’s Group A clash against New Zealand and their semifinal, it would not have been unprecedented if some senior players were to rest ahead of the knockout stages. However, Rahul does not see that happening.
"Luckily, I am not part of the leadership group. I don't have to make that decision. There will be some temptation to try out players who have not gotten a game. But I don't think that will happen in the Champions Trophy because there is just one day's break between the final group-stage game and the semifinal," he added.
Rahul also addressed his selection over Rishabh Pant in the ODI setup and claimed that with high-level backups, the temptation to keep changing the side is always there.
When Pant was recovering from a life-threatening car crash, Rahul became India’s primary keeper-batter in ODIs since August 2023, proving to be a great middle-order bat and reliable keeper in the 50-over World Cup, amassing 452 runs and effecting 17 dismissals. "There is (competition with Pant), I won't lie. He is a very talented player and has shown all of us what he can do, how aggressively he can play, and how quickly he can change the game. So there is always a temptation in the team with the captain and the coach to think if they should play him or play me,” said Rahul.
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