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Former England cricketer and Delhi Capitals (DC) mentor Kevin Pietersen feels that KL Rahul is the right fit for Team India's T20I middle order as the first-choice wicket-keeper. The 33-year-old player has been making a strong impression in his new role in the shortest format in the ongoing 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL), recording 364 runs in eight matches at an average of 60.66, and a strike rate of 146.18.
KL Rahul, who primarily played as an opener for Team India in T20 cricket, has not been considered for selection since the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. With new-age openers like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Abhishek Sharma involved in stiff competition at the top, returning to the T20I setup as a middle order seems a far more realistic ambition.
Team India have stuck with Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma as the batters after the opening combination in their T20 side, but nothing is set in stone since the road to the 2026 World Cup will begin only after a couple of months.
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Pietersen opined that Rahul is a good fit for the No.4 role based on how he has improved his game in recent times.
"I'd bat KL at four for India in T20 cricket, I think you guys have got plenty of opening batters, you've got Surya 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," Pietersen said during the post-match press conference after DC's loss to RCB in IPL 2025 (via Cricbuzz).
KL Rahul was among the wicket-keeping options Team India had at their disposal for the T20 World Cup squad last year. However, he failed to make the cut as Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant were preferred instead.
"KL has been playing in a very positive manner since late last year" - Kevin Pietersen on KL Rahul's growth as a batter
KL Rahul was at a crossroads in T20 cricket after a fallout with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) management during IPL 2024. Entering back into the auction pool and being roped in by DC has proven to be a new lease of life. Playing without the burden of captaincy has also played a major role in the wicket-keeper returning to his best in a new role.
Pietersen noted KL Rahul's recent exploits in the middle-order in ODIs, and praised him for batting in a 'positive' fashion.
"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 said
Pietersen also lauded KL Rahul's mentality, and for accepting that he needed to change the way he was batting amid changing times in T20 cricket.
"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," Pietersen added.
KL Rahul scored 41 runs off 39 balls on a tricky surface at the Arun Jaitley Stadium during the recent six-wicket loss to RCB.
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