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Veteran India batter Karun Nair made a return to the Men in Blue's Test set-up after eight long years. The batter was included in India's 18-member squad for the highly-important five-match Test assignment against England which is set to commence from June 20. Another reason why the upcoming tour will be important is because it will mark the beginning of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
In a video posted by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on social media, Nair shared how he is very grateful for getting the opportunity of playing for the national team once again. He also stated that it will be a special feeling for him when he steps out to bat for India again.
"Feels really special, very grateful and very fortunate to be able to get this opportunity again and really looking forward and excited to grab this opportunity with both hands," Nair said in the video.
"Not sure actually, I've to experience that feeling myself and just go out there and feel it for myself. I'm sure there will be a lot of feelings, ones that I can't express right now and it will be a special feeling," he added.
Gambhir was also left impressed with Nair's comeback into the squad
India head coach Gautam Gambhir also wasn't shy of praising the 33-year-old for making a comeback to the Indian team. During a pre-training huddle Gambhir heaped praise on Nair for getting called-up by the selectors following his stellar 2024/25 domestic season. He also emphasized how difficult it is to make a comeback after such a long time.
"Comebacks are never easy. Someone who has made a comeback after seven [eight] years had a phenomenal last year. Last year, no matter the runs you have got and most importantly, that never-die attitude, never-giving-up attitude, that is something which has got you back into the team. That is something which is inspiring for this entire world. Welcome, Karun," Gambhir stated.
Nair got back into contention of making it to India's Test squad following a sensational domestic campaign with Vidarbha. The batter scored 779 runs in just eight innings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and followed that up by putting up 863 runs in just nine matches in the Ranji Trophy. He also scored a century in the Ranji Trophy final against Kerala as the match got drawn and Vidarbha took home the title.
Though his performances at the domestic circuit had already made his case strong, the sudden Test retirements of both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli saw the doors open for Nair's return to the set-up. Additionally, the batter also got picked in the India A squad that played two unofficial Tests against the England Lions and in the first match, he went on to score an incredible double-hundred to most likely confirm his spot in the Men in Blue's playing XI for the first Test of the series against the Three Lions.
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