1 week Ago
England great Kevin Pietersen has predicted that should get a recall into the Indian team in the T20I format. Pietersen is working with Rahul in the Indian Premier League 2025, as he is the mentor of Delhi Capitals, the team for which the Indian batter plays. Rahul has not been part of the Indian T20I team since the 20-over World Cup in 2022.
He has developed his white-ball game and has been a consistent scorer in too. Rahul has been a vital player in the Indian team in the middle order and has made crucial contributions in the Test and the ODI format. He had scored crucial runs in India's Champions Trophy 2025 victory and was the vital cog in the middle order.
He has also been in fine scoring form in IPL 2025, as he has scored 364 runs with three fifty-plus scores. DC mentor Pietersen feels that Rahul should get a recall into the Indian T20I team. "I'd bat KL at four for India in T20 cricket," Pietersen said in the post-match press conference after Delhi Capitals' defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
"I think you guys (India) have got plenty of opening batters, you've got Surya (Suryakumar Yadav) who bats at the top, you've got all of these guys but the way that KL Rahul is playing cricket now, he would be my first choice to bat at four and keep wicket for India." The former England star highlighted how the Indian batter has been playing positively. "KL has been playing in a very positive manner since late last year, mid to late last year.
We saw how he finished off a couple of the games for India and almost sealed the deal in the Champions Trophy in Dubai," Pietersen noted. Pietersen stressed the evolution of the T20 format and how it has challenged players who were taught to play defensively before it had come. "I've had a lot of incredibly brilliant conversations with him about batting, a lot of deep and meaningful conversations because when you grow up as a youngster like he did and you get taught defence – elbow up, play in the V and then all of a sudden in your 30s, you've got to change it and you've got to become a different kind of player for a different format which is evolving all the time.
"It's very, very difficult. So the way that he has accepted that he's needed to change, the way that he has changed is of great, great credit to the person that he is. He is so positive, the way that he practices, the way that he trains, the way he thinks about the game and also the way that he talks about the game.
That's KL.".
