ENG vs IND 2025: ‘Gauti bhai gave me the confidence’ – Karun Nair hails coach Gambhir after hard-fought Test series

Indian batter Karun Nair praised head coach Gautam Gambhir for offering the team strong encouragement and support during the five-Test England tour. The Anderson–Tendulkar series marked a transitional phase for India, now led by Shubman Gill, as several veterans retired from the red-ball format.

Following a 3-0 home series whitewash by New Zealand, which ended India’s 12-year unbeaten run, and a disappointing 1-3 loss in the Border–Gavaskar Trophy in Australia after a decade, India managed a hard-fought 2-2 draw in England.

Nair revealed that right from the start, the focus was on putting the team first and aiming to beat England on their home turf. He finished the series with 205 runs in eight matches at an average of 25.62, including just one fifty. Returning to international cricket after an eight-year hiatus, Nair struggled to capitalize on promising starts, failing to convert scores in the 30s and 40s into big innings despite coming on the back of a strong domestic season.

“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 [everyone] must have noticed as the series progressed. Gauti bhai was someone who gave us a lot of encouragement and support. I can say 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,” Nair told Revsportz.

Looking ahead, India’s red-ball team will host the West Indies and South Africa for the upcoming home series. Before that, the Indian squad will participate in the 2025 Asia Cup, set to begin on September 9 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a T20I format, as preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.