Star batter set to join India A squad ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 Test series: Reports

India opener KL Rahul will join the India A squad ahead of the big tour of England. He will miss the first game of the tour against England Lions, which begins today (Friday, May 30), but will be available for the second first-class game against the same opponents, beginning on June 3.

Over the last 12 months, KL Rahul has had a topsy-turvy time donning the whites for India. Following mediocre returns in the middle order during the Test series against Bangladesh and in the first Test against New Zealand, he was dropped for the last two games against the Kiwis. However, in the absence of former Test skipper Rohit Sharma, Rahul opened in the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test against Australia and was a regular fixture in the side throughout the tour.

KL Rahul was named in the 18-man squad that was announced for the tour of England last week and will be expected to open the batting. As per a report from The Indian Express, the 33-year-old will fly out on June 2 to join India A and feature in the second first-class game against England Lions. A BCCI source confirmed the same, saying:

"He will be flying on Monday and will be playing a second warm-up game with the India A side. As he is part of the senior men’s team, which will be playing five Test matches in the series, these matches will give him game time and match practice."

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How has KL Rahul fared when playing against England?

KL Rahul was the Player of the Match at Lords when India played in England last time - Source: Getty

KL Rahul has toured England twice with the Indian side. His first outing was in 2018, where he managed to score 299 runs in 10 innings, including a stroke-filled 149 at the Oval in the last Test of the tour. Rahul was then expected to feature in the middle order when he was part of the 2021 series. However, injuries to Mayank Agarwal and Shubman Gill meant KL Rahul was pushed up the order to open.

Rahul's second outing in English conditions was much better than his first, as he managed 315 runs in eight innings, including a 'Player of the Match' performance where he scored 129 at Lord's. As one of the seniormost players in the side, he will be expected to play a huge role when India tour England in what will be their first series post Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli's Test retirements.