Latest news with #post-Kohli-Rohit-Ashwin
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
'All the more special': Karun Nair's wife Sanaya pens emotional post as batter returns to India Test XI after 8 years
Team India at Headingley (Pic credit: BCCI) NEW DELHI: Emotions ran high in the Nair household on Friday as Karun Nair marked his return to the Indian Test team after an eight-year hiatus. Live Score: India vs England, 1st Test The occasion was made even more poignant by a heartfelt social media post from his wife, Sanaya Tankariwala, who shared her pride and joy as the national anthem played before the start of the first Test against England at Headingley. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! In her Instagram story, Sanaya captured a video of the Indian team lined up for the anthem, with Karun standing in frame, soaking in the moment that was long in the making. Alongside the video, she wrote: 'Goosebumps every time I hear the Indian national anthem . And this one's all the more special.' Karun last played a Test in 2017, and his return marks a significant milestone in his career. Once touted as the next big middle-order hope after his famous triple century against England in 2016, the right-hander now finds himself with another chance to reignite his Test journey. India, led by new captain Shubman Gill, were sent in to bat first after Ben Stokes won the toss. The playing XI featured two key changes in the batting lineup - Sai Sudharsan made his Test debut, while Nair slotted in at No. 6. Shubman's Big Test Begins! India's Probable XI & Stokes' Mind Games | ENG vs IND 1st Test Preview 'Sai makes his debut, Karun comes in. Sai will bat at three,' Gill confirmed at the toss. This Test also marks India's first in the post-Kohli-Rohit-Ashwin era, a period of transition filled with both challenges and opportunities. Game On Season 1 kicks off with Sakshi Malik's inspiring story. Watch Episode 1 here
Hindustan Times
11-06-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Gautam Gambhir, Shubman Gill poked by England; told India will 'miss Virat Kohli's aura, chirping': 'Our boys are ready'
Eighteen years. 18. That's how long it's been since India last won a Test series in England. In these last 18 years, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin made their debuts, carved out a legacy like no other and retired. Yet, a win in England has eluded their Test careers. And now, in 2025, as a young Indian team takes centre-stage in England, while they are clearly not the favourites to break the hoodoo, do not rule out the element of surprise. Look no further than the 2020-21 tour of Australia, where a young Indian team, battling injuries, did the unthinkable and wrapped up a memorable 2-1 series win. India have not lost a Test series to England since 2018. They beat England 3-1 at home in 2021, drew the series 2-2 away in 2021-2022 and defeated them again last year at home 4-1. However, the upcoming series, starting in 10 days' time, offers a fresh challenge. With new captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir in charge, India embark on a new World Test Championship cycle, ushering in the post-Kohli-Rohit-Ashwin era, in search of finding and building new superstars. Also Read: Kane Williamson identifies the 'next Fab 4' of world cricket after him, Kohli, Smith, Root; two Indians get the honour The retirement of Virat Kohli, with a little over a month to go for the Test series, threw the fans off guard, but more than the Indians, the Englishmen seem to be more affected by it. Current and former cricketers are ruing not having Kohli in England, including Ollie Pope, who reckons India will certainly miss having their most successful captain in the UK. Pope has no reservations about the pool of young talent that the Indian squad has been injected with. But well, at the end of the day, there is only one Virat Kohli. Also Read: Sourav Ganguly fires shots at Agarkar, BCCI for dropping Shreyas Iyer from India squad, says 'not a player to be left out' "It's a young team, but these Indian players… they have got so much depth and talent. So they've got a lot of young guys coming through; a lot of good players. Shubman Gill, their new captain, is a fantastic player. They will miss the aura of Virat Kohli standing at slips and chirping away. But they have got some good talent, so they will feel confident. But our players are ready for it," Pope said during an interaction with talkSPORT cricket. Pope says England, who haven't faced a quality Test team over the last 12 months, are thrilled to have a team like India touring is the perfect preparation for the big one later this year – the Ashes in Australia. However, he is not making the mistake of considering the series against India an afterthought. More so, given England's seven-year-long wait to win a Test series against the Men in Blue. "It's a great time for us to play India. Last summer, we had the West Indies and Sri Lanka, but with India coming over, the level of quality that they will bring is a great way for us to focus on that and not look ahead. So yeah, for us, it's the perfect time to play India, and then once the Ashes come around, it will be exciting," Pope pointed out.
