Srinagar: The grind, hardwork, dedication doesn’t go waste and that is what Karun Nair’s India Test team comeback proves as BCCI announced the Test squad for the England Tour with Karantaka batter making a great re-entry.
Karun Nair makes a return after over 8 years, having last played for India in March 2017 during the home series against Australia. Nair was rewarded for his stunning performances in domestic cricket in the previous season, where he played a key role in guiding Vidarbha to the Ranji Trophy title win. Nair finished with 863 runs in the Ranji Trophy with an average of over 53.
Karun Nair was picked up in place of Sarfaraz Khan, who was omitted from the 18-member squad after being a regular feature in the Test setup over the past year. The batter announced his arrival in style with strong performances in his maiden Test series against England last year. Even in the series against New Zealand, Sarfaraz smashed a brilliant 150 in the first Test but failed to capitalise on the momentum, registering scores of 11, 9, 0 and 1 over the next two Tests. He didn’t play a game during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The tour, scheduled from June to August 2025, will see India play five Tests at iconic venues – Headingley, Edgbaston, Lord’s, Old Trafford, and The Oval. This is India’s first bilateral red-ball series since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, where the side faced a 3-1 loss. The result denied India a third-straight shot at the World Test Championship, with Australia and South Africa qualifying for June’s final.
India’s squad:
Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk/vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav