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Samson vs Pant vs Rahul: Who Is The Best Wicket-keeper Option For India In Champions Trophy 2025?

Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul [X]Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul [X]

The Indian team have just come out of a series loss against the Sri Lankan team on their home turf in the ODIs. It looked like the Indian team requires particular work in the middle order to be competitive in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025. Notably, India have only three ODIs to sort out their combinations before the marquee event. 

One of the hit topics of discussion is the wicket-keeper batter option that India will look to take. The 'Men in Blue' have three options to fill this position - Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul. Now in order to get an idea of who could be the best option, let take an analytical dive into the question. 

Samson vs Pant vs Rahul - Career Numbers

Player
Innings
Runs
Average
Sanju Samson1451056.66
Rishabh Pant
2787133.50
KL Rahul722,85149.15

The career number gives us the idea that Sanju Samson with the highest average among the three is ideal for the role. Although, KL Rahul has played much more that Samson and has more experience, India can try Samson in the role given the fact that he is a much more dynamic player. 


Samson vs Pant vs Rahul - Middle Overs Stats

Whoever gets the role will have to bat in the middle overs. In ODI cricket, the middle overs are a very crucial phase. The batters in this phase need to be careful about not giving away their wickets while keeping the scoring rate up. Here is a look at the record of these three contenders in the middle phase of ODI cricket. 

Player
Innings
Runs
Average
Strike Rate
Sanju Samson1337875.60101.10
Rishabh Pant2060240.10102.20
KL Rahul541,71457.1087.10

The table shows us that while Rahul has a better average in the middle-overs, Pant has a much better strike rate. But for a player to be successfull in the top middle-order, a batter needs to be both consistent and dynamic. In that case, the average and the strike rate of the three players gives us the idea that Sanju Samson is the best suited for the role. 


Samson vs Pant vs Rahul - Record vs spinners

Players
Innings
Runs
Average
Strike Rate
Sanju Samson12243121.50105.20
Rishabh Pant20331
36.80107.80
KL Rahul571,07756.7090.10

One of the key features of a middle-order batter is his ability to play spin efficiently. The average and the strike rate of the three players against spinners in the ODIs shows us that Samson is the best suited for this role. 


Conclusion

The comparisons in this article shows that Sanju Samson is the best player suited for this role. Although, it seems like the Indian management is not thinking of Samson in the ODI format, the role that they are struggling with at present and the player's records suggest that it is high time the Rajasthan Royals skipper is given a long run in the middle-order in the ODI format of the game.