ENG vs IND: "This isn't a young team, this is a gun team"- Karun Nair reveals Gautam Gambhir's message to Indian players during England tour

Karun Nair said that Gautam Gambhir didn’t want the players to consider themselves as a team in transition.

Karun Nair has revealed that India head coach Gautam Gambhir did not want the players to consider themselves as a team in transition during the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025. He also revealed Gambhir’s strong message to Indian players in the dressing room ahead of the series.

Ahead of India’s tour of England 2025, batting legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirement from test cricket. Hence, Indian selectors appointed youngster Shubman Gill as the new captain, while Rishabh Pant was picked as vice-captain.

Moreover, India’s squad for the England test series comprised many young and inexperienced players, who were expected to struggle in challenging English conditions. However, the Shubman Gill & Co. showed a marvellous fight to conclude the series in a 2-2 draw and deny England a series victory by winning the fifth test at The Oval by six runs.

This isn’t a young team, this is a gun team: Karun Nair reveals Gautam Gambhir’s message

Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Nair revealed Gambhir’s message to Indian players in the dressing room at the start of the England tour. He said that Gambhir told players to consider themselves a “gun team” instead of a “young team”.

“Right at the very beginning, Gauti [Gautam Gambhir] bhai said, he doesn’t want us to look at it as a team in transition. He didn’t want us to feel that way. The first message we got was ‘this isn’t a young team, this is a gun team and everyone must feel it from within,” he said.

“The messaging within the group was that everyone plays for the team and supports each other. It’s one thing for the coach or the captain to say it, but to feel it was amazing,” he added.

Nair also noted how Indian players were inspired by the fightback shown by Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Reddy, and Mohammed Siraj during the third test at the Lord’s.

“From that position, where we had lost so many wickets, to see the fight Nitish [Kumar Reddy] and [Mohammed] Siraj put with Jaddu [Ravindra Jadeja] was inspiring. That never-give-up attitude was on display. There was disappointment at losing the Test but everyone was inspired,” he said.

Notably, Nair made a comeback to the test team after more than seven years. However, he struggled to score a big during the series. The right-handed batsman mustered 205 runs across eight innings, including one half-century in the fifth test at The Oval.

Meanwhile, Indian captain Gill finished as the highest run-scorer in the series with 754 runs, smacking four centuries across 10 innings. Mohammed Siraj finished as the highest wicket-taker with 23 scalps.

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