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India’s crushing defeat of 125 runs against England in the third T20 match has once again started a big discussion about the team’s batting. After India was bowled out for just 76 runs, many cricket experts and fans believe that the team needs experienced batsmen like KL Rahul.
Now, former India opener Sadagoppan Ramesh has also supported the call for KL Rahul’s return to the T20 team. Ramesh feels that Rahul can solve one of India’s biggest problems in T20 cricket. He believes that Rahul has the ability to face world class fast bowlers under pressure.
India’s batting collapse sparks new debate on KL Rahul
Chasing 202 against England, the Men in Blue had a very bad day at Trent Bridge. The entire batting order collapsed and while chasing 22 runs in the third game, the team was all out for only 76 runs in 11.4 overs. England won the match by 125 runs, becoming India’s biggest defeat by runs in T20I history.
This was India’s fourth consecutive defeat in full T20I matches. After the poor performance, many questions have been raised on India’s batting style. Many batsmen played aggressive shots from the beginning and lost their wickets. Meanwhile, the Indian politician urged Vaibhav Suryavanshi and India’s young players to learn from Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli.
Sadagoppan Ramesh backs KL Rahul for 2028 T20 World Cup plans
Sadagoppan Ramesh believes that keeping the ICC T20 World Cup 2028 in mind, India need batsmen who know how to handle difficult situations rather than just hitting fours and sixes. He feels that a player like KL Rahul can bring stability to the batting order as he has the technique and experience to face quality fast bowling on challenging pitches.
“The next T20 World Cup will be on the potentially challenging pitches of Australia and New Zealand. With this in mind, it is paramount that India include a batsman capable of handling high-quality fast bowlers,” Sadagoppan Ramesh said on Instagram.
Thinking in that direction, the first name that automatically comes to mind is KL Rahul. He responded to the criticism regarding his strike rate with his performance in this IPL. He is one of only three players to score 150 runs.
India needs batsmen who can withstand pressure
The former opener also said that Rahul has worked hard on his batting and has even improved his strike rate. The right-handed batsman was in great form for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026 and scored 593 runs in 14 matches at an average of 45.61 and an impressive strike rate of 174.41.
He further added, “India needs batsmen capable of playing guys like Archer in Australian conditions and also needs batsmen who can handle crises. Slogging and aiming for only 6 and 4 will lead to such 70 and 80 all-outs. That’s why batsmen like KL Rahul should be considered.”
Sadagoppan Ramesh says India needs more right-handed batsmen in the playing eleven
Ramesh also pointed out that India has many left-handed batsmen in its batting line-up. He believes that the inclusion of an experienced right-handed batsman like Rahul will give the team better balance, especially against strong bowling attacks.
He further added, “You can’t just consider the IPL for a few players. KL Rahul also needs to be at least on the radar. Also, for a team that focuses so much on the matchups with the ball, India doesn’t care about the matchups with the bat. The lineup is full of left-handers, so India will have to add some right-handers. Purely because wherever the next T20 World Cup is going to be played, KL Rahul has to be on the radar.”
Rahul last played a T20 match for India in November 2022 during the T20 World Cup semi-final against England. He has also been one of the most successful batsmen in IPL history. He has scored 5,815 runs in 159 IPL matches at an average of over 46.
