Latest news with #bcci.tv
Indian Express
a day ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘Very grateful and fortunate to be able to get this opportunity again': Karun Nair on India comeback
Karun Nair, who returned to the national set up after 8 long years for India's upcoming tour of England, said that he was grateful for the opportunity to represent India again. 'Feels really special,' Nair told (I'm) Very grateful and fortunate to be able to get this opportunity again. Looking forward to grabbing this opportunity with both hands,' he added. Nair, India's second-ever Test triple centurion, was welcomed to the side by head coach Gautam Gambhir. 'Comebacks are never easy. The amount of runs you've got, the never-give-up attitude — it's inspiring for the entire team. Welcome back, Karun Nair,' the coach was seen saying in the video. His longtime statemate KL Rahul, with whom he has played since his U-14 days spoke about his resilience when chips were down. A comeback story with Karun Nair 🔝 P.S. – A special message from KL Rahul 👌#TeamIndia | #ENGvIND | @karun126 | @klrahul — BCCI (@BCCI) June 12, 2025 'I've known him for a very long time,' Rahul said. 'The months he has 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 is special for him and his family, and friends like us who've seen his journey.' Rahul termed the journey inspirational for one and all. 'It's very inspiring as well. Hopefully his experience and learnings from County cricket here will hold him in good stead when he plays the Test matches.' For Karun, it still feels surreal that he is back in the Indian dressing room. 'I'll have to experience that feeling myself, just go out there and feel it for myself. I'm sure there'll be a lot of feelings, ones that I can't express right now. It'll be a surreal feeling.' The last of Nair's six Test appearances came in March 2017. It is during this run that he famously scored an unbeaten triple century against England in December 2016 in Chennai. However, he scored just 71 runs across his six other innings before and after that knock which led to him losing his spot in Indian team. (With agency inputs)
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Gambhir's vision meets Baz's blueprint
New Delhi: The sun has set on an era of giants as Virat Kohli's fire, Rohit Sharma's flair and R Ashwin's craft are now confined to memory. With his steely fury and tunnel vision, coach Gautam Gambhir will hope to inspire a whole new generation to take their place in the Test team. With Shubman Gill, the new captain, by his side, untested waters lie ahead but Gambhir is confident that this new team has potential to do special things. 'There are two ways of looking at this tour. One is we are without our three most experienced players or we got this phenomenal opportunity to do something special for the country,' said Gambhir on 'When I look around in this group, I see the hunger, the passion and the commitment to do something special. If we make sacrifices, if we come out of our comfort zone, if we start fighting not every day but every session, every hour and every ball, I think we can have a memorable tour.' Gambhir's huddle talks are expected to be laced with bravado and motivation and can be intimidating, but the obsession for results is evident. This hype worked with Kolkata Knight Riders when he was captain back in 2012 and 2014 and it worked when he mentored them in their title-winning season in 2024. Recently, KKR pacer Harshit Rana admitted to missing Gambhir's 'aura' and 'thrill' in the dressing room in 2025. He balanced that aura in the huddle talk as he warmly welcomes newcomers Sai Sudharshan and Arshdeep Singh and the new leadership group of Gill and Rishabh Pant but also lauded veteran Karun Nair for his 'never say die attitude'. That is the kind of attitude Gambhir lives by himself and that's what impresses him too. Gambhir has called for a 'closed-door' intrasquad game before the series begins in Leeds on June 20 to test out the new batting order and give game-time to key bowlers. Across the pitch, Brendon McCullum's England await the in-transition Indian team. With Ben Stokes by his side, Bazball had transformed England into an audacious unit but the squad looks different from the last time they faced India in 2024. Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad have retired. Jonny Bairstow, Ben Foakes and Ollie Pope are out of favour. There are also some comebacks amidst injury concerns to their key pacers. However, England are fresh off a win against Zimbabwe in Tests and cleanswept West Indies in ODIs and T20Is. McCullum, who oversees England's coaching in all three formats since Matthew Mott's resignation from the white-ball job, has a clear vision. 'It's important, the guys refresh. We know where we want to get to as a Test team,' McCullum told Sky Sports Cricket. 'There are some quality bowlers that are unavailable, but we have a nice, varied bowling attack with Chris Woakes, Sam Cook, Brydon Carse, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue for the high-pace element. We have Shoaib Bashir, who is growing in Test cricket every day.' 'We know we are going to be tested against India, and they will arrive prepared.' McCullum's 'blueprint' with new captain Harry Brook in white-ball cricket has been successful and the key to that has been to just let him be. 'Any time you go through a period of transition and change, you have aspirations and hopes on what you can achieve. Sometimes, they happen quick and sometimes they take a long time to embed,' McCullum had said following their win against West Indies. 'But in the last couple of weeks, we have seen a clear blueprint of how Harry Brook wants this cricket team to run and his style of captaincy. I have let him find his way.' While it remains to be seen how much of Gill's style will spill into 'leading' the side, it's going to be interesting to see Gambhir's direction through it. The series promises fierce competition but also a fresh chapter for two sides trying to define its next decade.
