Karun Nair reveals Gautam Gambhir's message to Team India during England tour

Gautam Gambhir (Pic: File Pic)

Team India batsman Karun Nair heaped praise on head coach Gautam Gambhir for giving the side a lot of encouragement and support during the England tour of the five-match series.

The 33-year-old revealed that Gambhir's message to the team was very clear: put the team first and defeat England in their own backyard.

"Gauti bhai was someone who gave us a lot of encouragement and support. I can talk for myself that he really gave me the confidence to go out there and give it my best. So, the whole focus was to go out there and play the way I know, to play for the team in any situation that I was in," Karun Nair told RevSportz.

He then said that the motive of the England series was to do something special as a unit, and all the players brought their 'A-game' as the series continued.

"The whole goal of the series was to do something special as a team. It was really inspiring to see this message coming from him from day one, and everyone really bought into it, which you must have noticed as the series progressed," he said.

The five-match Test series against the 'Three Lions' also marked the return of Karun Nair to India's national side after eight years.

But the right-hander was not able to make the most out of the opportunity provided to him by the management. He was only able to score 205 runs with an average of 25.62.

However, the series ended in a 2-2 draw, but it holds utmost importance for the young Team India. Just before the series, the management had appointed Shubman Gill as India's new Test skipper.

He led the team well and managed to secure a draw without having the likes of stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.

Team India will now gear up to participate in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025. The continental event will kick off on September 9. The 'Men in Blue' will play their opening match against the UAE on September 10 at the Dubai International Stadium.

(With ANI Inputs)