India vs England 2025 1st Test: KL Rahul hopes to play alongside childhood friend ‘for a long time’, he is…
Team India’s final playing 11 against England in the first Test at Headingley in Leeds will witness plenty of new faces. One of them will be Vidarbha and Delhi Capitals batter Karun Nair. The 33-year-old from Bengaluru will be playing for the Indian cricket team after more than 8 years.
His last Test match appearance was against Australia in Dharamsala back in 2017. Nair has managed to score 374 runs in 6 Tests for India and remarkable 303 of those runs came against England in one innings in Chennai.
Even after becoming only the second Indian after Virender Sehwag to score a triple-hundred for India in Test cricket, Nair failed to secure a position in the side. Now after years of hard work and tons of runs in domestic cricket, Nair is set for a Test comeback.
He will be playing alongside his childhood friend from Bengaluru – KL Rahul – and the two were teammates at Delhi Capitals this season as well.
Rahul, who had a stellar IPL season with the bat for the Capitals, has put his weight behind his teammate Nair who is making a comeback to the Indian team after a gap of 8 years and lauded him for his efforts. “We started playing cricket as 11-year-old boys together and we have been on this journey ever since. Both of us have had our ups and downs. He got his opportunity, scored a triple hundred, faced a bit of tough time after that for a lot of reasons. But what has stood out is the way he has performed in the last 2-3 years,” Rahul was quoted as saying by Delhi Capitals.
“It’s been great to see how he has gone back to basics. We have spoken about his time in the UK and him having played County cricket, and the difficulties and the challenges that he faced. To have that drive to make a comeback to the Indian team despite all the hardships is commendable. I hope both of us can play for a very long time for the Indian team,” he added.
KL Rahul began preparation for England tour immediately after IPL 2025
Talking about his own preparations, the right-handed batter said, “I started with my preparations for the England series right after the IPL. I spoke to my coach as well to get prepared for this assignment. It’s always a challenge coming to England as they are a pretty good side, especially when they play at home. It’s going to be a challenge for all of us as we are a comparatively young team.”
Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma have been pillars of India cricket: KL Rahul
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had earlier announced retirements from Tests and Rahul feels that not having the two legends in the dressing room will be a miss but added that it’s an opportunity for the youngsters to take the baton forward.
“Virat and Rohit have been the pillars of Indian cricket for the last decade or so, and not having them around will be a huge miss. In my whole career so far, I have never walked into a team where there is no Virat or Rohit. The 50-odd Test matches that I have played, either Virat or Rohit or both of them have been there. To walk into that dressing room feels a bit strange. But of course, you have to respect their decision. They have given absolutely everything for the country and they will remain legends of Indian cricket. But it’s time for the rest of us to step up,” he concluded.
The first Test between India and England will be played at Headingley, Leeds from Friday.
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