Champions Trophy 2025: KL Rahul quashes report of Rohit Sharma being unfit for New Zealand game

Amid a report stating India captain Rohit Sharma and pacer Mohammed Shami being unfit for the game against New Zealand in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025, wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul has come forward to reject the rumour, falsifying the claim from scratch.

Rahul appeared in front of the media for a press conference ahead of the India versus New Zealand game, and it clarified that none of the players from the Indian squad are facing any sort of fitness concerns. He assured that no one will be missing the upcoming clash due to fitness reasons.

"Fitness-wise, there are no concerns about anyone missing a game as far as I know," Rahul confirmed on Friday, February 28.

Temptations to try different players before the semis: Rahul

Furthermore, the Karnataka cricketer also opened up on the potential changes in the team's combinations ahead of the BlackCaps' encounter. He did opine that trying out untested players ahead of the semis would surely be beneficial for the Men in Blue, however, he wasn't sure of who and how many players will be replaced in the upcoming encounter, scheduled for Sunday, March 02 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai.

"There are temptations to try different players before the semis, but I am not sure that will be the case. There is little time before the semifinals, so you would want players to get maximum game time. This is my perspective, but things could change. I am not part of the leadership group," he added.

Meanwhile, the winner of the upcoming clash will finish the league stage as table-toppers of the Group A. Both the teams have four points each, having remained undefeated so far, which will change in the next game's result.

In case Rohit Sharma opts to sit out for this game, Shubman Gill will be seen captaining the Indian team for the first time in the ODI format. Notably, Gill has already captained India in T20Is with series against Zimbabwe in July 2024.