India vs England: Have learnt from my mistakes, KL Rahul hopeful of Test comeback

KL Rahul, who has not played a Test for India since the West Indies tour in 2019, is hopeful of making a comeback in the whites ahead of the England Tests.

Rahul's last appearance for India in the longest format was the Kingston Test in 2019. He recently featured in India's practice match against County Select XI, which was his first red-ball game in as long as 18 months.

He donned the gloves for India in the absence of Rishabh Pant and Wriddhiman Saha and made full use of the opportunity given to him by scoring a classy 101 (retired out).

The knock has given him hopes of a Test comeback ahead of the five-match Test series between India and England, starting Aug. 4 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.

"It's always good to get runs in the white kit. It's been a while since I'd played a red-ball game, so it was very nice to be out there, and score runs. It's important to stay patient and wait for my turn. I've been working on my game. It's good to get some time in the middle and score some runs," Rahul told bcci.tv.

Rahul, who made his Test debut during the 2014 Australia tour, has made 36 appearances for the Indian side in the five-day format, scoring 2,006 runs at an average of 34.58. He has five centuries and 11 fifties to his name in Test cricket.

"I've always been confident. I've never really worried about confidence. It's my self-belief that has gotten me so far, but it's about maintaining a calm head, learning from your mistakes. I'm just enjoying my game. I've made mistakes, I've learnt from them. I get stronger. Like I said this is a good opportunity again, hopefully fingers crossed I can do the job for the team," Rahul added further in the video.

Rahul was a regular member of the Indian team during their tour of England in 2018. After scoring a total of 150 runs in the first four Tests, Rahul ended the tour on a high by registering 149 off 224 balls at the Oval, which coincidently remains his last three-digit score in Tests.

"I remember The Oval being the best batting pitch we got in the whole series. At the back of my mind, I also knew it was the last game of the series and I hadn't done well in the series. So, it was only realistic that I would have probably not gotten a chance in the next series.

When I got dropped in 2018, I had to go back and discuss with coaches, watched a lot of videos to see where I was faltering and try to correct that. I'm happy, time off from Test cricket has helped. Like they say, failure makes you strong, makes you more focused and determined about the game. It's no different for me. I'm looking forward to the opportunities, trying to stay a lot calmer and more disciplined," the Karnataka batsman said.