Indeed, KL Rahul is going through one of the greatest revivals in his career. He was back to his best in the previous six months. His beginnings were in Test cricket, where he did not just demonstrate solid technique as an opener in Australia. Thereafter, it was ODIs, in which Rahul proved to be a consistent matchwinner helming India in the 2025 Champions Trophy. Now it looks like he has finally figured out T20. After having moved to Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2025, Rahul has now been given new batting responsibilities in the middle order. An astute move, this change has worked wonders for him. He is looking closer to being an explosive batter that we remember from the IPL seasons from 2016 to 2018. Pietersen said: “I would bat KL at four for India in T20 cricket. You guys (India) have plenty of opening batters Surya bats at the top, among others, but with the way KL Rahul is playing right now, he’d be my first choice to bat at No. 4 and keep wickets for India. It’s very, very difficult to adapt. The way he’s accepted the need for change and implemented it speaks volumes about the kind of person he is. He’s incredibly positive—in his training, mindset, and even how he talks about the game. That’s KL Rahul.” Now Kevin Pietersen did not directly say it, but the message was loud and clear: Rahul should be in contention for the T20 World Cup 2026. But does Rahul really deserve to be there? Has he done enough? What are the other wicketkeeper-batters doing? Worth mentioning is the fact that Rahul has not played a T20I since November 2022, when he last appeared in several international matches over two years ago. And while big names such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja have hung up their boots, the game has moved on, so Rahul has, too. He is no longer opening the innings or playing an anchor role this season. Nevertheless, with a remarkable average of 60.66 and a strike rate of 146.18, he has made yet another key transformation. Ironically, over the last six seasons, his strike rate has never been below 140, but this season, he is beginning to add some urgency to his game. It's not just that he's scoring quickly, but he's reading the game well. While chasing, he particularly knows how to always go up or down in sync with how the conditions are. 33 years, for Rahul, mean experience, which enables him to handle the innings smartly rather than free swinging. In his absence, three wicketkeepers have participated in India's T20I ecosystem: Sanju Samson is regular now yet he usually opens; Rishabu Pant played the 2024 T20 WC while Samson has taken his place as the top choice. Jitesh Sharma put in a couple of ODIs but hasn't played since early '24. Dhruv Jurel is still awaiting his first T20I cap. He is the only one who bats in the middle order; the others are either openers or lower-order hitters. On the basis of IPL 2025, Rahul makes quite a strong case for being among India's top two wicketkeeper options for T20Is. Read also: Vaibhav Suryavanshi Breaks IPL Century Record in 35 Balls India bombards the No. 4 or 5 slots, too, with contenders Rajat Patidar, Shivam Dube, Tilak Varma, Shreyas Iyer, and Riyan Parag. All are experienced except Patidar in international cricket. Among these, it is Tilak with the maximum bright chance of making it to the squad for T20 World Cup 2026. He has already become a crucial player under Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav, and he also has two hundreds to his name. Dube and Parag bowlers offer impotency to their current form, making a case for their exclusion. Patidar and Shreyas are strong against spin and can go on the offensive from ball one. Along with Tilak, these two are Rahul's major competition. Also, there are chances for some emerging names, such as Rinku Singh and Nitish Kumar Reddy. Rahul has time and games left, though, to prove himself and possibly have that belief of Pietersen coming true.