'Rohit managing injury well; Rahul, Pant key assets': India assistant coach

Dubai [UAE], March 1 (ANI): Ahead of India's crucial ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Group A clash against New Zealand on Sunday, assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate provided an update on Rohit Sharma.
Speaking to reporters in Dubai, ten Doeschate assured that Rohit is managing his injury effectively.
"He's all right. As you can see, he's batting, and he did a little bit of fielding earlier. It's an injury he's had before, so he knows how to manage it really well, and he's on top of it," he said.
The discussion also shifted to the wicketkeeping duo of KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant. While Pant has been on the sidelines, ten Doeschate acknowledged the difficulty of team selection at the highest level.
"It's been very hard on Rishabh not playing, but that's the nature of sport at this level. KL's been good. He didn't get many chances, and when you're batting at six or seven, it's difficult to get proper opportunities," he explained.
However, the former Netherlands international highlighted Rahul's contributions in key moments.
"Obviously, the third ODI in India, he did really well, and that knock against Bangladesh proved crucial in the end," he noted.
With India boasting two top-quality wicketkeepers, ten Doeschate emphasised the importance of keeping Pant prepared.
"We've got to keep Rishabh up and running. We never know when we're going to need him, but certainly, having two wicketkeepers of that calibre is a nice thing to have," he concluded.
India's first-choice wicketkeeper batter KL Rahul admitted he feels the pressure of Rishabh Pant breathing down his neck, while waiting for his opportunity. With a player like Pant on the bench, Rahul admitted there is always a "temptation" to play either him or the explosive southpaw.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir and his regime's decision to prefer Rahul over Pant has left the fanbase and former cricketers with split opinions. Some have welcomed the management's decision to keep Rahul in the ODI fold, while others have argued in favour of Pant, citing his impact in the limited-overs format.
Rahul broke the silence about playing ahead of Pant and admitted the factor of performance pressure. The experienced batter isn't trying to compete with Pant but wants to do the best and stick to his game."There is - I won't lie. I mean, he's obviously a very, very talented player and he's shown all of us what he can do, and how aggressive and how quickly he can change the game. So yes, there's always the temptation for the team as well, whoever's the captain, the coach to - there's always that temptation to either play him or play me," he said in a press conference on Friday.
In the ongoing Champions Trophy, Rahul has embraced his role as a wicketkeeper batter. In the Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh, he continued his red-hot form with a composed 41* from 47 deliveries, laced with a sole four and two towering maximums. (ANI)