KL Rahul bats for best buddy ahead of England Tests

Karun Nair, who last played a Test match for India in March 2017, has found a place in the Indian Test squad after a great domestic season for Vidarbha.

"It feels very special, very grateful and very fortunate to be able to get this opportunity again," he told the BCCI.tv.

"Really looking forward and excited to grab this opportunity with both hands.

"I am sure there will be a lot of feelings – ones that I cannot express right now and it will be a special feeling."

The returning batter warmed up well leading to the England series, notching up a sublime double century for India A in the four-day unofficial Test against England Lions in Canterbury. His teammate and friend KL Rahul feels Nair's experience of playing for Northamptonshire will help him to do well.

"I've known him for a very long time and the months that he spent here in the UK playing cricket and how hard and how lonely it was for him to be able to do all of that and come back into the Indian Team - I think it's special for him, for his family and for friends like us who've seen his journey," KL Rahul said.

"It's very inspiring as well and hopefully his experience and his learnings from playing county cricket here will hold him in good stead when he plays the Test matches here."

Coincidentally Nair's highest Test score of 303* was against England at Chepauk, the same match where Rahul registered his highest Test score of 199 as well.

Rahul has also had a nice warm up ahead of the crucial five-match Test series, when he scored a century for India A in the second unofficial Test against England Lions in Northampton last week.

India has a relatively young-in-experience squad with a young leader at the helm and will hope the combined experience of Nair and Rahul will boost the line-up in their first series of the next World Test Championship cycle.