Not Shubman Gill, Harshit Rana!! 1st Indian player in T20 World Cup 2026 squad announced

Published - 31 Aug 2025, 01:59 PM

India, Gautam Gambhir and Harshit Rana
Gautam Gambhir and Harshit Rana. Image Credit: X

KL Rahul might have not played a T20I game for India since the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup, but his determination to return has caught the eye of none other than Suresh Raina. The former Indian cricketer believes that KL Rahul has done everything to be part of India’s T20I setup.

The Indian selectors have been preferring aggressive and attacking batters like Abhishek Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, and Shubman Gill in the shorter format of the game, leaving classy Rahul out of the side even after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s retirement from the format.

Suresh Raina hails KL Rahul’s temperament

The 32-year-old has so far played 72 matches in T20I cricket and amassed 2,265 runs at an average of 37.75 and a strike rate of 139.13. Rahul also has two centuries and 22 half-centuries to his name in the format. He is also among the Indians who have scored centuries in all three formats.

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Well, the right-handed batter is still the key part of India’s Test and ODI setup, and he has already made his intentions clear that he still belongs to the T20Is. Rahul turned heads with his stunning performances for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2025.

He had scored 539 runs across 15 games at a blistering strike rate of 149.72. However, it was Rahul’s adaptability, anchoring at the top and shifting gears in the middle order, in the IPL 2025, that impressed everyone. Rahul even admitted that he worked on his game with Abhishek Sharma.

Suresh Raina backs KL Rahul’s T20I comeback for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026

Still, Rahul was overlooked for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, which means he is all but out of the selectors’ plan for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. And Suresh Raina has called for the Karnataka star’s return to the side while mentioning how he worked hard on his game.

Raina said that Rahul’s class, composure, and sharp cricketing brain are something that India might need again in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. With T20 cricket demanding both firepower and finesse, the former World Cup winner still feels India needs Rahul’s services.

Suresh Raina said on Shubhankar Mishra's podcast on his YouTube channel, “He scored the runs. See, KL Rahul has a temperament. People think T20 is a very fast game where you only need to hit shots, but the class, temperament, and game awareness he possesses don’t come overnight. He has worked a lot, so I think he will come back.”

Read Also: Shreyas Iyer 'difficult to manage' claim emerges, IPL captaincy blamed for India T20I snub

KL Rahul eyes India T20I return but keeps focus on the present

Earlier, KL Rahul had said that he feels confident about his recent performances. He had admitted that returning to T20Is and playing in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 remain his goals, but he wanted to stay in the moment. His comments came in the wake of his stunning IPL 2025 show.

Rahul had stated, “Yes, I want to get back in the T20I team, and the World Cup is in my mind, but for now it's just trying to enjoy how I'm playing right now.”

Rashmi Wasnik

Rashmi Wasnik is a passionate content writer with over a decade of experience. She started her journ... Read more

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