Credit: BCCI/IPL
Team India wicket-keeper batter KL Rahul has expressed his intention to make a comeback in India’s T20I set-up. The 33-year-old, who has played 72 T20Is, was dropped from his national team following his underwhelming performance in the T20 World Cup 2022 held in Australia. Playing six matches in the distinguished International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament, he scored only 128 runs as an opener in six matches. This year, Rahul looked extraordinary as a Delhi Capitals (DC) batter in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. With 539 runs in 13 matches, he emerged as the leading run-getter for his side in the season.
Noting Rahul’s courageous batting show, his fans want him to feature in India’s T20 squad again. Recently, Rahul appeared in an interview with former England captain Nasser Hussain and revealed he is aiming to serve India in the T20 World Cup 2026, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. “Yes, I want to get back in the T20 team and the World Cup is in my mind, but for now it’s just trying to enjoy how I’m playing right now,” said Rahul to Hussain. Noting Rahul's current form, England legend Kevin Pietersen also feels that the veteran batter deserves to return to Team India's T20I side.
KL Rahul to travel with Team India to England
KL Rahul will next be seen against England for the five-match Test series starting on June 20. Eyes will be set on his performance as his experience and skills will be crucial for Team India. In England, his batting numbers are decent as he has notched up 614 runs with two hundreds and a fifty in 18 innings of nine games.
Rahul, along with Yashasvi Jaiswal, can be seen opening India’s batting innings. In the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 down under, he looked decent with 276 runs in 10 innings of five matches at an average of 30.66.
