'The first name that comes to mind is KL Rahul' - Sadagoppan Ramesh wants veteran batter to be recalled after India's Nottingham nightmare

Sadagoppan Ramesh opined that India will have to play on challenging surfaces during the next edition of the T20 World Cup in 2028. Australia and New Zealand are the co-hosts of the marquee event.

The former India opener said that the Men in Blue will have to pick batters who are capable of handling high-quality fast bowlers. His assessment came after India lost the third T20I against England on Tuesday, July 7, by a whopping 125 runs at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.

Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue ran through the Indian top and middle order, bagging seven wickets in total. Ramesh believes that KL Rahul must be recalled to the Indian team because he is exemplary against fast bowlers. The cricketer-turned-expert said that during this year's Indian Premier League (IPL), Rahul silenced his critics who questioned his strike rate.

"The next T20 World Cup will be on potentially challenging pitches in Australia and New Zealand. Considering that, it is paramount India add a batter capable of handling high-quality fast bowlers. Thinking in that direction, the first name that automatically comes to mind is KL Rahul. He responded to the criticisms around his strike rate with his performance in this IPL. He is also one of only three players to have ever scored a 150," Ramesh said on his Instagram handle.

"India need batters capable of playing guys like Archer in Australian conditions and also ones that can handle crisis. Just slogging and aiming for only 6s and 4s will result in more such 70 and 80 all-outs. That is why batters like KL Rahul must be considered," he added.

Ramesh said that India should consider matchups not just for bowlers but also for the batters. In a left-hander-dominated batting line-up, Ramesh believes that Rahul's addition could add a different dimension.

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"You can't consider the IPL only for certain players. KL Rahul must also atleast be in the radar. Also, for a team that looks so much at matchups with the ball, India don't seem to care about matchups with the bat. The lineup is full of left-handers and so India must add a few right-handers. Purely because of where the next T20 World is going to be played, KL Rahul has to be in the radar," said Ramesh (via the aforementioned source).