Media365
Former India cricketer and IPL legend Suresh Raina has thrown his support behind KL Rahul, backing the Delhi Capitals captain to return to the national T20I fold despite his exclusion from the 2025 Asia Cup squad. Speaking on Shubhankar Mishra’s YouTube podcast, Raina praised Rahul’s quality and temperament. “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,” Raina said.
Rahul enjoyed a strong IPL 2025 season, amassing 539 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 149.72, including one century and three fifties. During the campaign, he also crossed the landmark of 5,000 IPL runs, with his tally now standing at 5,222 runs from 145 matches.
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In T20 internationals, Rahul has scored 2,265 runs in 72 matches at a strike rate of 139.12, including two centuries and 22 half-centuries. However, his last appearance in the format came in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final against England.Raina also addressed ongoing speculation about the future of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in ODI cricket. Reports have suggested the two senior batters could be phased out before the 2027 World Cup, but Raina firmly disagreed. “Rohit & Kohli should play the 2027 ODI World Cup because they have won the T20 WC and the Champions Trophy. Both Rohit and Virat have so much experience. I feel they will be there in the 2027 World Cup; they should be there,” he said.
