KL Rahul tells Agarkar not to pick him for England series, goes on a break; Pant, Samson set for Champions Trophy?

KL Rahul has decided to take a break from cricket after a physically and mentally draining Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. Rahul has reportedly told the Ajit Agarkar-led BCCI selection committee that he would like to be exempted from the limited-overs series at home against England starting January 22 in Kolkata. The home series comprises five T20s and three ODIs, which will be more significant considering that it will precede the Champions Trophy, which will start on February 19. India's KL Rahul walks off the field(AFP)

Interestingly, Rahul, who is not considered an automated choice in the ODI XI now that Rishabh Pant is back in the mix and so is Sanju Samson, has informed the selectors that he will be available for selection for the Champions Trophy. India will play all their games in Dubai while the rest of the matches will be held in host nation Pakistan.

"He has sought a break for the England series, but he will be available for selection for the Champions Trophy," a BCCI source told PTI on Thursday.

While the high-profile India batting crumbled in the Test series in Australia, Rahul was among the few batters who got runs. He was the third-highest run-getter for India with 276 runs in 10 innings at an average of 30.66. However, his tour did not end as well it started. He went to Australia as a No.6 but was brought back at the top of the order when captain Rohit Sharma was unavailable due to personal reasons. He put up a brilliant show of discipline in both innings of the Perth Test, forcing Rohit to slide for the next two Tests to accommodate him at the top of the order. Rahul's form, however, tapered off towards the end of the series, which was reflected in India's performance as they lost the last two Tests to concede the series 1-3.

Pant, Samson pushing Rahul for a spot in Champions Trophy

Though ahead in the pecking order, Rahul is fighting for the wicketkeeper batter's slot in the Champions Trophy squad alongside Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson. Pant hasn't quite set the limited-overs stage on fire, but he was preferred over Rahul in the last ODI in Sri Lanka. On the other hand, Samson's recent blistering performances in T20Is will also make him a strong contender for the second keeper's slot.

Rahul had also sought rest from Karnataka's matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Their quarterfinal will be played over the weekend.

It remains to be seen if he will be available for Karnataka's Ranji Trophy campaign, with head coach Gautam Gambhir highlighting the need to play domestic cricket for all Indian cricketers after the series loss in Australia.

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