The former England cricketer also hailed the ability of the current batsmen, including Rahul, to change the approach of their game according to the demands of T20 cricket. In the ongoing IPL 2025, KL Rahul has been consistent with his batting and has a strike rate of 146.06— his highest across the last six editions of the cash-rich league
Kevin Pietersen. Picture Courtesy/Delhi Capitals' Instagram account
Delhi Capitals (DC) mentor Kevin Pietersen revealed that one of the deepest conversations he has had with premier batsman KL Rahul was how a batsman needs to keep changing gears during his innings and hold onto the momentum.
"One of our deepest conversations was how difficult it must be to go from a guy that starts in the second, third, fourth gear, gets to the fifth gear, the sixth gear, and then no one can stop him... to a player who now needs to start in fourth gear, end up in fifth gear very quickly, and after five or six balls, be in sixth gear for the rest of the innings," Pietersen was quoted saying by ESPNcricinfo.
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He further hailed the modern batters' ability to change the approach of their game according to the demands of T20 cricket.
"I just take my hat off to these players who have played a certain way for such a long time, because of the nature of where T20 cricket is now, have mentally said to themselves, 'I've got to change'...It's frightening to see how good these guys are - and KL in particular," said Pietersen.
In IPL 2025, KL Rahul has been consistent with the bat, registering a strike rate of 146.06 — his highest in the last six editions of the cash-rich league. Having played nine matches in the ongoing league, the right-hander has amassed 371 runs, including three half-centuries.
However, Rahul and DC are at risk of tailing off after a bright start: they won their first four games of the season but have lost four of the last six, and have recently slipped out of the playoff spots.
Currently, the Axar Patel-led DC are placed fifth spot on the points table. The side will lock horns with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their upcoming IPL 2025 match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
(With ANI Inputs)
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