England vs India: Gautam Gambhir hails Karun Nair's 'never-die attitude'
What's the story
Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of the Indian cricket team, has welcomed several new faces, including Karun Nair, Sai Sudharsan, and Arshdeep Singh into the squad for India's upcoming five-match Test series against England.
The series will kickstart India's 2025-27 ICC World Test Championship cycle campaign.
"First Test calls are always special," said Gambhir while welcoming Sudharsan and Singh.
He also praised Nair for his special comeback.
Comeback recognition
Gambhir lauds Karun Nair's comeback
Gambhir lauded Nair for his return to the Test setup after an eight-year absence. He praised Nair's "never-die attitude" that helped him make a successful comeback.
"Comebacks are never easy," said Gambhir, adding that Nair had an incredible last year with his performance.
The coach also congratulated Shubman Gill on being appointed as India's new Test captain and Rishabh Pant for being part of the leadership group.
Season
Nair earns comeback with stellar run
In the last domestic season, Nair scored 863 runs with four centuries in nine Ranji Trophy matches.
He also scored 779 runs with five hundreds in eight Vijay Hazare Trophy innings. The Vidarbha batsman led his state team to the finals, but they lost to Karnataka.
His stellar performance earned him his Test comeback.
Notably, Nair recently slammed a double-century in the unofficial Test series against England Lions.
Triple-ton
India's triple-centurion in Tests
Notably, Nair scored a historic Test triple-century against England, in 2016. He is one of India's two triple-centurions, the other being Virender Sehwag.
Having last played for India in 2017, Nair owns 374 Test runs at an average of 62.33.
He has overall accumulated 8,470 runs from 116 First-Class matches at an incredible average of 52.80 (100s: 24 and 50s: 36).