'How lonely it was': KL Rahul hails Karun Nair's 'inspiring' comeback to India's Test setup

KL Rahul hails Karun Nair's 'inspiring' comeback to India's Test setup (PTI Photos)

Karun Nair return to India's Test setup is nothing short of an incredible story. The only Indian after Virender Sehwag with a triple century in Tests, the 33-year-old was expected to be a polished product in a nation where cricket players can be found on every street and in every nook. Nevertheless, Nair continued to work hard, turning up noteworthy performances at the domestic level one after another before ultimately performing to his typical level in the just finished Indian Premier League (IPL). He started with a six off the opening ball while playing for the Delhi Capitals.

Nair has also returned to the workforce after being selected for India's tour of England. In the first unofficial Test match between India A and the England Lions, he scored 204, demonstrating to the world that he still has the desire to succeed in cricket, or at least in the red-ball format.

KL Rahul appeared to be among the numerous Indian supporters who would love to see Karun succeed in the forthcoming India vs England Tests. Rahul played with Karun for the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025.

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In a video released by the BCCI on Thursday, Karun said it felt special to get a second opportunity and is looking forward to grab it with both hands. “Feels very 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. Not sure actually, I think I’ll have to experience that feeling myself and you know, just go out there and feel it for myself and I’m sure there’ll be a lot of feelings, ones that I cannot express right now and it’ll be a special feeling,” he said.

The video also has Rahul discussing Karun's remarkable return to the national team, also highlighting his path. "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 and for him to be able to do all of that and come back into the Indian team. I think it is special for him, for his family, and for friends like us, who've seen his journey. So, like I said, 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," said Rahul.

A comeback story with Karun NairP.S. - A special message from KL Rahul #TeamIndia | #ENGvIND | @karun126 | @klrahul pic.twitter.com/PeYCsNtnxv
BCCI (@BCCI) June 12, 2025

Karun will play his seventh international match in red-ball cricket if he is selected in India's starting line-up against England for the first Test, which is set to take place at Headingley, Leeds. In his seven innings thus far, he has amassed 374 runs, out of which 303 came in a single innings.