Will KL Rahul’s resilience reward him a place in the Indian squad for Asia Cup 2025?

Every victorious team in sport or cricket, for that matter, will always have that one individual who seldom gets a mention or gets an equal amount of limelight just because their contribution gets overshadowed by their peers’.

Years after their swansong performance, that individual or player would make it into the folklore as unsung heroes with pundits, experts and fans alike debating how that player hung-in there by biding his time, grinding his way out of the muddle to make life slightly easier for his contemporaries who go on to achieve glory and bring laurels to themselves and the team.

Whilst much has been written and said about Yashasvi Jaiswal’s swashbuckling centuries and Rishabh Pant’s courage and fortitude at Old Trafford and Shubman Gill cementing his legacy at the fancied number four position, KL Rahul’s performance has gone under the radar in the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

Averaging over 53 with a strike rate of just under 50, Rahul amassed 532 runs with two tons and two half-centuries, making him the third-highest run-scorer after Gill and Joe Root. The right-handed batter has been the linchpin of the Indian batting, especially in the third Test at Lord’s when India lost Rishabh Pant following a run out by England captain Ben Stokes. Rahul ensured that his hundred took India to safer shores by clearing the deficit and also gave the bowlers something to defend.

With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli bidding adieu to Test Cricket, Rahul has seamlessly transitioned himself as the senior statesman who can chew up all the pressure and navigate the team out of any impasse.

However, will this defiant performance reap him a place in the Indian T20I squad for the Asia Cup that is set to begin in September? Reports have emerged that Gill and Jaiswal might make a return to the Asia Cup squad. The report also states Pant may not be available for the Asia Cup owing to his toe fracture. So the question arises as to who will be India’s first-choice wicketkeeper?

The last time KL Rahul played a T20I was way back in the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final in Australia, where India lost to England by 10 wickets. If Rahul is still in contention, then he would most probably play at No.4 or 5 at the very best. The wicketkeeper-batter has also been one of the top ten highest run scorers in IPL 2025, where he scored a plethora of runs at no.4. The right-handed batter finished with an average of just about 54 and a strike rate of 149.72.

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Furthermore, the Asia Cup is taking place in the UAE, a place that is not alien to Rahul. Earlier this year, Rahul scored an important 42 against Australia in the semi-final of the 2025 Champions Trophy that ensured India a berth in the final. His string of 30s and 40s during that tournament helped the Men in Blue get over the finish line more than once.

The 33-year-old batter also has a keen eye for taking DRS calls when he dons the wicket-keeping gloves, much better than Pant and some of his younger peers.

But Rahul might be overlooked as selectors would look to bolster India’s batting and may not give too much impetus to this one aspect alone. This means that Jitesh Sharma, Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan might be in the thick of things as selectors look for specialists in the shortest format.

Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.