Aside from his recent exploits, and 100’s against England and Australia in 2023, KL Rahul vaguely talked about how players have to prove themselves at every stage of their international career. The right-hander noted that fans and even pundits think back to a player's last performance, making the competition ever harder. Rahul has evolved from an elegant top-order batter to versatile team player. His versatility made him an indispensable member of the team since his transfer to the middle order and agreeing to do wicketkeeping were significant reasons why India won the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the team's first title in 50-over cricket for 12 years. Talking with former England captain Nasser Hussain on Sky Sports, Rahul admitted consistency is to be expected from players, but it is disappointing when something one did in the past can be erased. KL Rahul Stated: “I don’t mind proving myself all the time. That’s how any sport is – to always perform in every tournament, That’s the case with international cricketers anywhere in the world. But that’s not the hard part – it’s the people who make the decisions who seem to forget what the player has done in the recent tournament. It has been the challenge for me." The 33-year-old also acknowledged that he could face more criticism in India’s ODI series against Bangladesh this August. He recounted how emotions took over him at the press conference after the Champions Trophy semifinal. He also added: “The next ODI tournament might be after five months because it’s going to be a long English Test summer and you see people writing and commenting ‘we need to look for players who can play the 2027 World Cup or the World Cup after that.’ But it’s not just a challenge for me but every cricketer goes through it. I got a bit emotional during the press conference (after Champions Trophy semifinal).” In IPL 2025, KL Rahul played for Delhi Capitals (DC). He had dual responsibility batting middle order with the gloves and sometimes opening the batting. He was the leading run scorer for DC, scoring 539 runs in 13 innings at a blistering strike rate of 149.72. Also read: ‘There is no room for him’: Ajit Agarkar explains Shreyas Iyer’s omission from India’s Test squad DC just couldn’t catch a break—didn’t even sniff the IPL 2025 playoffs, no matter how hard Rahul tried. Anyway, the grind never stops. Up next for him? A big ol’ Test series against England, kicking off June 20. And get this—since both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are out, Rahul suddenly finds himself as one of the old heads in the squad. No pressure, right? First clash is in Leeds on June 20. After that, it’s a whole English tour: Edgbaston (July 2-6), Lord’s (July 10-14), Old Trafford (July 23-27), and then wrapping things up at The Oval from July 31 to August 4. Busy summer for the boys.