The high-octane five-Test series between England and India is set to start on June 20 at Leeds. Ahead of that, it is ideal to get some practice in the tricky English conditions. Hence, KL Rahul has decided to play the second warm-up game for India A, against England Lions at Northampton from June 6. He apprised the selectors about his decision.

Rahul, whose IPL 2025 campaign concluded on May 24 as his franchise Delhi Capitals failed to secure a place in the playoffs, is now free to focus on his preparation for the Test series. The middle-order batter, a member of India's 18-member squad, will fly out on Monday.

“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,” Indian Express quoted a source in the BCCI.

India A's first tour game will start on Friday in Canterbury, while the second warm-up game will start on June 6. A full-strength Indian team will also play an intra-squad match in Beckenham on June 13, a week before the first Test in Leeds.

Rahul was part of India's Test squad in Australia in November-January. He accumulated 255 runs in five Tests Down Under at an average of 30.66, with two fifties. He scored a half-century (77) in the Perth Test.

Rahul has so far played 58 Tests for India, scoring 3,257 runs at an average of 33.57, with a highest score of 199. He will be one of the senior batters in the Indian team in England following the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from the longest format of the game in May.

In a recent interview with former England captain Nasser Hussain for Sky Sports, Rahul said, “I love red-ball cricket. I mean you can’t take that away from me or anyone who’s part of that Indian team. Everyone that I’ve spoken to on that Indian team, we’re all on the same page as to Test cricket is number one for us. We love playing Test cricket and that hasn’t changed for me.”

Rahul also recalled how he grew up watching red-ball cricket in England and Australia. “I grew up watching Test cricket. I grew up watching you guys play for England. I used to wake up at five in the morning and watch Test cricket in Australia with my father. He loved watching cricket as well,” he added.

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