Leeds, June 20 (IANS) Comeback man Karun Nair is raring to go out in the middle and deliver for India at the biggest stage with the start of the five-match Test series against England on Friday.

Returning to the Indian Test team after a hiatus of eight years, Nair revealed that his resolute attitude to play for the country again kept him going.

“My first thought when I woke up was I want to play Test cricket, I want to play for India again. That’s probably what kept me going and kept me hungry, the driving force to go to training every day to go to practice every day. Never losing that belief and having that target to reach was something that helped me. Feeling honoured to wear this jersey and honoured to represent my country,” Nair said in a video shared by the BCCI.

“Never losing that belief and having that target to reach was something that helped me. Feeling honored to wear this jersey and honored to be representing my country.

“When I saw everyone for the first time, that’s when I really, you know, felt it that I’m finally in the team. Till then it was like a wait for me to kind of start feeling like I’ve made it again. It’s been a few years, I used to always watch everyone on TV, now to be back again in this dressing room feels amazing. You know, getting that first session under the belt was relief, grateful to get that opportunity. Life has come a full circle because I went out of the team in England and now I’m coming back into the team in England. So it’s been a while and I’m trying to embrace that,” he added.

The 33-year-old is already in the groove and was the standout batter for India A side during the two unofficial Tests against England Lions. He hammered double ton in the first game in Canterbury. “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, so it has been a while, and I am trying to embrace that,” he said.

Nair also expressed his excitement about sharing the dressing room with KL Rahul and Prasidh Krishna, noting that the trio has been playing together since their childhood.

“I try to keep it very simple, always think about the positive, have certain goals in mind, visualize things and have real belief in what you visualize. Playing alongside Rahul and Prasidh is also a very comforting factor. We’ve played cricket for so many years since probably we were young kids and grew up together,” he said.

Nair makes his return on the back of a stellar domestic season, having scored 863 runs at an average of 53.93 for Vidarbha in their Ranji Trophy-winning campaign. Prior to that, he hammered five centuries in just eight innings at the Vijay Hazare Trophy, averaging an astounding 389.50.

–IANS

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