In a superb news for the Indian Test team, KL Rahul will fly to England in order to lay the groundwork for a huge five-match Test series. With the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, Rahul remains one of the senior-most batters in the Indian test team, and he is ready to take an extra step to prepare ahead of the England Tests.
KL Rahul ready to take extra step
The Karnataka-born batter has been one of the most improved cricketers in recent times. He would like to walk the talk in England as well. Now, in what has come as a huge development, Rahul will be flying to the UK and will be available to play for India ‘A’. Currently, India ‘A’ is slated to have two unofficial Tests against the England Lions, with the opening fixture scheduled to begin today onwards in Canterbury.
“He will be flying on Monday and will be playing a second warm-up game with the India A side. As he is part of the senior men’s team, which will be playing five Test matches in the series, these matches will give him game time and match practice,” a source in the BCCI confirmed to IndianExpress.
This means Rahul will walk into an already-stacked India ‘A’ lineup. Alongside Rahul, Sai Sudharsan will also join the team after the first unofficial four-day game. Both Rahul and Sudharsan are touted to start for the senior side in the first Test against England on June 20 in Leeds. While there’s a competition for a spot between Sudharsan and India ‘A’ captain Abhimanyu Easwaran, Rahul is certain to take the mantle. However, it remains to be seen if Rahul continues his vigil as an opener or moves back to the middle order to give stability.
KL Rahul’s Test stats as an opener
| Span | Inns | Runs | Av | 100s | 50s | HS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 2015-25 | 83 | 2803 | 35.03 | 7 | 14 | 158 |
| England | 2018-21 | 18 | 597 | 37.31 | 2 | 1 | 149 |
India A schedule
| Match No. | Day & Date (From) | Day & Date (To) | Time (local) | Match Type | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fri 30-May-25 | Mon 02-June-25 | 10:00 AM | 1st first-class | Canterbury |
| 2 | Fri 06-June-25 | Mon 09-June-25 | 10:00 AM | 2nd first-class | Northampton |
| 3 | Fri 13-June-25 | Mon 16-June-25 | 10:00 AM | Intra-squad | Beckenham |
India ‘A’ squad for 2nd unofficial Test
Abhimanyu Easwaran (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel (VC) (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan (WK), Manav Suthar, Tanush Kotian, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sarfaraz Khan, Tushar Deshpande, Harsh Dubey, Sai Sudharsan, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill (uncertain)
