After the Indian team's crushing loss in the third Twenty20 International against England in Nottingham on July 7, former opener Sadagoppan Ramesh asked the management to take seasoned batter KL Rahul into consideration for selection in the T20I squad.
The Men in Blue lost by 125 runs after being bowled out for an abysmal 76 in 11.4 overs while chasing 202 to win in Nottingham. The batters received harsh criticism, and the loss margin was the largest in India's T20I history. After winning the 2026 T20 World Cup, it was also the team's fourth straight T20I defeat in finished games.
With the 2028 T20 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in mind, Ramesh demanded Rahul's return to the India XI in light of India's previous batting woes in T20Is.
"The next T20 World Cup will be on potentially challenging pitches in Australia and New Zealand. Considering that, it is paramount that India add a batter capable of handling high-quality fast bowlers. Thinking in that direction, the first name that automatically comes to mind is KL Rahul. He responded to the criticisms around his strike rate with his performance in this IPL. He is also one of only three players to have ever scored a 150.
India needs batters capable of playing guys like Archer in Australian conditions and also ones that can handle crises. Just slogging and aiming for only 6s and 4s will result in more such 70 and 80 all-outs. That is why batters like KL Rahul must be considered,” Ramesh said on his Instagram account.
KL Rahul’s last outing for India in T20Is was the semi-final of the 2022 T20 World Cup against England, a match that India lost by 10 wickets. However, Rahul has very good numbers in the format, scoring 2265 runs in 72 games, with a strike rate of 139.12, including 2 centuries and 22 fifties and a best score of 110*.
Given the expected circumstances at the 2028 T20 World Cup, Sadagoppan Ramesh feels that KL Rahul should be rewarded with a position in the Indian T20I team for his improved batting in the IPL.
With 593 runs at an average of 45.61 and a strike rate of 174.41 in 14 games, the seasoned right-hander had one of his greatest IPL seasons this year. Additionally, he became the first Indian to score more than 150 in an IPL match.
"You can't consider the IPL only for certain players. KL Rahul must also at least be on the radar. Also, for a team that looks so much at matchups with the ball, India doesn’t seem to care about matchups with the bat. The lineup is full of left-handers, so India must add a few right-handers. Purely because of where the next T20 World Cup is going to be played, KL Rahul has to be on the radar," said Ramesh.
Rahul is also one of the most accomplished batters in the IPL, with 5,815 runs at an average of over 46 and a strike rate of 139.14 in 159 outings.
