ICC Champions Trophy 2025: MS Dhoni's best friend fires Rishabh Pant huge warning: "If he makes mistake..."

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

Rishabh Pant is one of the two wicketkeeper-batsmen in the India squad with KL Rahul being the other one. As of now, it is still not clear if the Delhi star will get the nod ahead of Rahul to don the wicketkeeping gloves.

Many believe that Rahul will be the first-choice wicketkeeper of the team because of his performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup as well as his impressive display in the recent Test series against Australia.

While Rishabh Pant has become an integral member of India's Test team, the same cannot be said about his place in the ODI as well as T20I squad.

The left-hander has not really managed to deliver consistent performances in the limited-overs format. In ODIs, he has scored a modest 871 runs in 31 games at an average of less than 32.

Also Read: Watch: Rishabh Pant’s savage mockery of Preity Zinta’s Punjab Kings: "Only had one tension..."

Rishabh Pant has improved a lot: Suresh Raina

Rishabh Pant's selection has not gone down well with many. Many believe that the likes of Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan would have been better options. Kishan was a part of the India 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 that his former India teammate has improved his wicketkeeping. Raina also said that the upcoming three-match ODI series against England will be a good opportunity for Pant.

"He has improved a lot on his wicket-keeping, Rishabh Pant needs to play with more responsibility because this is a 50 over tournament," Raina told Star Sports.

"In the upcoming tournament with England you’ve got 3 One Days, this will be a good opportunity for Rishabh Pant," he added.

Rishabh Pant can finish off the game:

Speaking further, Raina said that Rishabh Pant could play a very crucial role for Team India in ODIs. The former India batsman said that in case Yashasvi Jaiswal does not get a place in the playing eleven, Pant could play the role of finisher for Team India. He also advised Pant to take his time in the middle before going for the big shots.

"It depends on how you play, I think if Yashasvi does not play in the top order then Rishabh Pant will have a very important role, he can bat at the fourth position he can also come in to bat before Hardik because if Rishabh goes on to play 40-50 deliveries then he can finish off the game," said Raina.

"He has to tell himself that if I play fifty deliveries then I can score 80-100 runs but it is important for him to spend some time. If he makes a mistake then that’s going to cost a lot because he has that talent, he has got that ability, he is going to be the X factor for the Indian team," he added.

Meanwhile, the Champions Trophy is scheduled to be played from February 19 in Pakistan and UAE. India will be playing all of their games in the UAE. Team India are in Group A alongside Pakistan, Bangladesh and New Zealand.