Ace India batter KL Rahul is eyeing a return to India’s T20 squad ahead of the 2026 World Cup at home, hoping to take advantage of his time away from the format, which according to him, has allowed him to re-calibrate his white-ball game.
Rahul has been out of the scheme of things from India’s T20 squad for the last three years, with his last outing being India’s semifinal loss to England at the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.
“Yes, I want to get back in the T20 team and the World Cup is on my mind, but for now it’s just trying to enjoy how I’m playing right now,” Rahul told Sky Sports.
Defending T20 champions will co-host the World Cup with Sri Lanka early next year.
Can Rahul replicate his IPL form in international cricket?
Absence from India’s T20 team hasn’t impacted his performances in the IPL. The Karnataka batter yet again enjoyed a fruitful IPL campaign, aggregating 539 runs in 13 matches at a decent strike rate of 149.72. His batting heroics, however, went in vain as Delhi Capitals failed to qualify for the playoffs.
For the fifth time in six seasons, Rahul scored 500-plus runs in a season. Despite scoring consistently in the T20 format, Rahul has faced criticism over his strike rate, something he has worked on.
“I obviously had some time to think about my white-ball game, I was quite happy with my performances and where I was. But (there) was a time probably 15 months ago or 12 months ago where I realised that the game is slightly getting ahead or it’s changing and becoming much more faster.
“…that it’s become more about the team that hits more boundaries is winning the games more often than the team that’s, I can’t say playing smarter, but the team that doesn’t hit as many boundaries is always finding themselves on the losing side.”
Rahul, who is part of the 16-member squad for the England tour, lamented the batters’ poor display in the last two series, especially against New Zealand at home.
Star India batter KL Rahul is aiming to make a comeback to India’s T20 squad ahead of the 2026 World Cup at home. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
