India vs England | KL Rahul back in squad for 2nd Test

“The All India Senior Selection Committee has decided to add India batsman KL Rahul to the Indian squad ahead of the second Test of the Paytm Test Series - 2016 between India and England to be played at Vizag from November 17, 2016. Rahul has fully recovered from his right hamstring injury and would be joining the squad today (November 15, 2016),” The BCCI press release read.

KL Rahul, who has been out of the national team after a hamstring injury in the series against New Zealand, has struck 76 and 106 in both the innings for Karanataka against Rajasthan in the ongoing Ranji trophy match at Vizianagram.

Hailed as one of the best openers of recent times, KL Rahul’s talent was never in doubt. But injuries have robbed him of bigger opportunities. In 2015, when he was all set for the tour to Bangladesh, a bout of dengue resulted in him being left out. In the home series against New Zealand, Rahul played only one Test in which he pulled his hamstring and missed the rest of the series.

But by smashing a total of 182 runs in the Ranji Trophy match against Team Rajasthan, Rahul has made a statement of his intent.

Rahul said, “I'm feeling good. It's important to get some match practice. You can spend a lot of time in the gym, doing your rehab and training but you are never fully healed until you play a few games. That way, this game has helped me in gaining some confidence and get some time out in the middle. I'm happy with the way I batted. Even when I was fielding, I could move well and get back to being quick and agile,” speaking to The Times of India.

He added, “I did spend a lot of time in the nets. This injury didn't stop me from batting. I just want to continue to bat the same way I batted here. Hopefully, I can bat the same way when I'm back in the Indian team.”

Gautam Gambhir appears to be the one who will make way for Rahul in the starting lineup after his failure in the first Test against England.

Rahul praised his Karnataka teammates for his success and keeping him motivated all the while. Rahul, who turned up after a gap of one year for his Ranji team, said, “This team feels like home because these are the boys who helped me get to where I am. We have been such a tight team. We have worked together right from our junior cricket days and trained hard to become what we are today. Most of us are playing in the IPL and everybody is in the reckoning for the country and guys are doing well in the Duleep Trophy. Whatever chances are given, the boys have made the most of it. It's nice to come back and play a couple of games with them.”