Karun Nair has described his return to the Indian Test squad as a “full circle” moment, as he gears up for India’s five-match series against England, starting Friday at Headingley — the very venue where his Test career last halted in 2018.
Nair, who had travelled with the Indian team during the 2018 England tour but didn’t get a game, was subsequently dropped from the squad. Over the past seven years, the 33-year-old put in consistent performances in domestic cricket, most notably during the last Ranji Trophy season, which earned him a recall to the national side.
“Life has come to a full circle. I went out of the team in England, and now I am coming back to the team in England. It has been a while, and I’m trying to embrace that,” Nair said in a video shared by the BCCI.
Nair’s return comes in the wake of the retirements of stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, opening doors for the middle-order batter. With India chasing their first Test win at Headingley since 2002, Nair is eager to contribute under new skipper Shubman Gill.
Reflecting on his journey, Nair said he never let go of the belief that he would don the Indian jersey again.
“My first thought every morning was: I want to play Test cricket. I want to play for India again. That belief, that hunger, kept me going through all these years — driving me to train every day and push myself. It’s an honour to wear this jersey again,” he said.
Describing the moment of reuniting with the squad, he added: “When I saw everyone for the first time, that’s when it really hit me — I’m finally back. Until then, it didn’t fully sink in. I just want to tell people: Don’t chase perfection. Dream big and keep believing. Anything can happen.”
India’s Squad for the Test Series:
Shubman Gill (Captain), Rishabh Pant (Vice-Captain & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
India aims to kick off the new era of Test cricket with fresh faces and renewed purpose — and for Karun Nair, it’s a long-awaited shot at redemption.
