Star batsman KL Rahul has been highly endorsed by Delhi Capitals coach Kevin Pietersen as a worthy contender for India’s No. 4 slot in the T20I rankings. Pietersen urged Rahul to rejoin the national team before the Men’s T20 World Cup in 2026 and commended his recently acquired batting style.
The right-hand batsman has made a significant impact with the bat since being acquired by the Capitals for INR 14 crore before to the 2025 Indian Premier League. He has amassed 364 runs at a strike rate of 146.18 and an average of 60.66 in eight games, including three half-centuries. Rahul’s performance was insufficient as Delhi failed to reach a respectable total despite his 41 off 39 balls against Royal Challengers Bengaluru last night. But the former England captain’s focus was drawn to his intention and upbeat demeanour at the crease in addition to the statistics.
“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.” Since late to late last year, KL has been playing in a really excellent way. During the post-match press conference on Sunday, April 27, Pietersen stated, “We witnessed how he completed a few of the games for India and nearly sealed the deal in the Champions Trophy in Dubai.”
I’ve had many really insightful discussions with KL Rahul: Pietersen
Since India’s defeat to England in the 2022 World Cup semi-final, the 33-year-old has not been included in the T20I squad. The Karnataka native has made minor tweaks to his game over the past 12 months, fought to recapture his fluid approach, and let go of the deep-playing pressure that was slowing him down. The former England player talked about how difficult it was for the Indian hitter to change his style of play.
“When you grow up as a child like he did, and you are taught defence, elbow up, and playing in the V, then all of a sudden in your thirties you have to change it, and you have to become a different kind of player for a different format which is constantly changing. That’s why I’ve had a lot of really brilliant conversations with him about batting, a lot of deep and meaningful conversations. It’s really, really challenging. Because of this, he deserves a great deal of credit for the way he has come to terms with the fact that he has had to alter. He exudes positivity in all aspects of his training, practice, and thought processes as well as in his speech and discourse about the game. KL is that,” Pietersen continued.
The Delhi coach also shared his thoughts on the importance of technique in contemporary cricket, arguing that players like Rahul, who combine classic and modern methods, are crucial, particularly on harder wickets, even though younger players are introducing new methods.
“I don’t think many of these players will play cricket in Test matches. You’re probably viewing it as a view, and I look at it a lot too. Some of the shots you see and the speed at which these men execute them make it seem like complete insanity, but that’s the nature of the game,” he continued.
“On wickets like we’re playing on this evening (DC vs RCB game), you can’t play that way, and you’ve got to be methodical, you’ve got to find rhythm, Virat [Kohli] found rhythm this evening, KL got rhythm and I think that’s where you see the true batter, the real batter that can come out there and sort of monitor the situation, and it looks effortless because they’ve built a technique for 20 years, 30 years, whereas you give the absolute belters and that’s when the next generation can come in and do all sorts of things,” he said.
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