Team India’s back-to-back series losses against Ireland (0-2) as well as in the ongoing 5-match series against England (0-3) fuel discussions over the comeback of KL Rahul into the T20I setup.
The T20 World Cup defending champions suffered a huge setback under Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy after taking over the captaincy from Suryakumar Yadav.
KL Rahul’s proven excellence in Tests and ODIs prompts the management to replace the current vice-captain, Tilak Varma, in the squad. The wicketkeeper-batsman played his last T20I game for India back in November 2022.
Although Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson are the only two wicketkeepers in India’s T20I squad, their failure to perform consistently with the bat paves the way for Rahul.
Despite boasting considerable experience, experts oppose the 34-year-old’s comeback to the T20I setup. Let’s find out the reasons why KL Rahul should not return to India’s T20I squad and the opinion shared by former cricketers.
1. Tough Competition For Wicketkeeper-Batsman Role
Multiple wicketkeepers who boast aggressive batting skills compete to secure a permanent spot in India’s T20I squad, which includes the names such as:
- Sanju Samson
- Ishan Kishan
- Jitesh Sharma
- Prabhsimran Singh
- Rishabh Pant
While KL Rahul remains a core player in tests and ODIs, his return to T20Is is far from possible. Until the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final against England, the right-handed batter was a regular member of his team in the shortest format.
One of the main reasons why selectors preferred other choices over Rahul was because of his low strike rate, sluggish approach, and a sequence of poor performances in 20-over matches.
2. Adds Complications to India’s Packed Batting Order
With Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi promising to be explosive opening batters, Team India’s selection committee is in a big dilemma.
Players like Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh and Rajat Patidarare striving to secure a permanent spot as specialist batters in the T20I squad.
Meanwhile, an uncapped wicketkeeper-batter like Prabhsimran Singh emerges as yet another tough contender.
Although KL Rahul has improved his numbers in the last few seasons of the IPL, the stiff competition leaves little scope for him to join the race.
Especially after missing out on T20Is for the past few years, it won’t be an easy task to make a comeback.
With a plethora of young talented Indian batters, Rahul’s inclusion in the T20I squad would add complications rather than solve problems.
3. Additional Workload and No Backup For His Role in Other Formats
So far, the Indian selectors haven’t been able to find a back-up player for KL Rahul in terms of sharp wicketkeeping and consistent batting skills.
Team India has currently set its focus on enhancing its rankings in the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 and the ODI World Cup 2027. So, preserving Rahul’s form in the two longer formats remains the main priority.
As the next T20 World Cup and Olympics are set to take place in 2028, KL Rahul, as a key batter in T20Is, won’t be a promising option. This is because Team India, after a long time, found stability in the opening batting combination in Test cricket and a reliable middle-order anchor.
Most often, players lose their form and natural style of playing when they become an all-format cricketer.
Over the past few years, the Indian cricket team has changed its culture by limiting the number of all-rounders, specialist batters, and bowlers to attempt to play all formats at once. This ensures that maximum players get the opportunity to feature in international cricket in an action-packed calendar year. In such scenarios, Rahul’s inclusion won’t be a feasible option.
Final Opinion: Former Cricketer Supports KL Rahul’s T20I Comeback
Despite several critics opposed to KL Rahul’s T20I return, former cricketers like Sadagoppan Ramesh and Krishnamachari Srikkanth explained the importance of the veteran batter’s presence in the shortest format:
“See! The next T20 World Cup in 2028 will be played in Australia and New Zealand, where the pitches are extremely challenging to bat on. It becomes crucial for India to handle premium pace bowlers. In such conditions, KL Rahul is the first player who comes to mind.
He silenced the criticism around his strike rate with an impressive IPL performance. Also, he is one of those three players who amassed 150 in the IPL,” S. Ramesh explained.
Likewise, Srikkanth voiced his opinion on his official YouTube channel:
Certainly! KL Rahul should be in the squad given his ability to score in the toughest batting conditions,” the 1983 World Cup winner said.
In conclusion, KL Rahul has the potential to become a successful all-format player and establish his worth as a reliable T20I batter. This could only become possible if he manages to alter his batting style perfectly to suit the demands of the shorter and longer formats.
