Kevin Peterson on KL Rahul: ‘I withdraw him to bat at number 4 for India in T20 cricket’ Cricket News

New Delhi: It has been a rollercaster ride for KL Rahul in ODI in the last one and a half years. He has been the mainstay of India in the middle-order and with the glove behind the wicket.
KL Rahul gave a great performance at the 2023 ODI World Cup, scoring 452 runs in 11 matches, which were in 11 matches at an impressive average of 75.33. In the Champions Trophy, he again showed his class. His tally did not win many awards to his 136 -run tally in the tournament, but his importance for India in mid -order was very big. In the semi-finals against Australia, he remained unbeaten at 42 and then took India to his back-to-back ICC title, unbeaten 34 off 33 balls against New Zealand in the final.
The right-handed batsman was not only outstanding with the bat, but also proved invaluable to the stumps-to guide thendeers, assisting Rohit Sharma with DRS calls, and working under pressure.
Emotions were raw and visible when KL Rahul finally lifted the Champions Trophy – his first ICC title. He knew how much it means to him.
However, despite his efforts, he was ignored for the ICC T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies – a tournament won India.
Who is that IPL player?
Once an all-format mainstay, KL Rahul is once again digging a deep excavation to return to India’s T20 Eye setup. In fact, it seems that he is already chasing another piece of ICC silverware – 2026 T20 World Cup. The mega event is to be co-host by India and Sri Lanka between February and March 2026.
Will he withdraw it to India’s T20I squad? Given their current form, the answer seems rapidly positive.
KL Rahul is in inauspicious touch – scaffolding drives, straight shots, bridges, and flixes playing – and the stumps are as fast as ever behind the stump. With 364 runs in 8 matches, Rahul is currently the most run-goldter for his team, Delhi capitalsIn IPL 2025.

Delhi Capital Mentor and former England cricketer Kevin Peterson declared KL Rahul as “the first choice for India to bat at number 4”.
“I return to KL at number 4 for India in T20 cricket,” Peterson told reporters after the loss of Delhi capitals Royal Challengers Bangalore In Delhi.
“You’ve found Rohit and Yashsavi – you have found the sun, which is a bats at the top, you have found all these people. But the way KL Rahul is now playing cricket, it would be my first choice to bat in four and keep the wicket for India,” Pietersen said.
“KL is playing in a very positive way from the middle of the last year to the middle.

“Then, suddenly, in your 30s, you have got to change a different kind of player for a format and become a different type of player who is developing all the time. It is very, very difficult. The way he has accepted that he needs to be replaced, and the way he has changed is the great credit for the person he is.
“He is very positive – the way he practices, the way he trains, the way he thinks about the game, and the way he talks about the game,” Pietersen said.
KL Rahul (41 off 39 balls) scored the top for Delhi Capital, helping to compete a total of 162/8 total 162/8 in 20 overs.
In response, Krunal Pandya and Virat Kohli hit a half -century to guide Royal Challengers Bangalore for a six -wicket win over Delhi capitals.
The pair held a 119 -run partnership from 84 balls together, as RCB chased a target of 163 runs in 18.3 overs, which ran away from their unbeaten home.
With the win, RCB won its seventh win in 10 matches, while Delhi Capital faced only the third defeat in nine matches. Both teams live firmly on the track for a place in the playoffs.