KL Rahul makes special request to BCCI ahead of India's tour of England; here's what report says

After a successful Indian Premier League (IPL) with new franchise Delhi Capitals, KL Rahul made a special request to the BCCI to allow him to play the second India A game against England Lions in a bid to prepare himself for the upcoming Test series, starting next month.

Rahul's decision comes in after the India batter wasn't able to prepare in Mumbai or Bengaluru due to adverse weather conditions. While India A play their unofficial Test against England Lions from May 30, the second unofficial Test gets underway at Northampton from June 6.

According to a TOI report, Rahul has been granted permission to travel early to the United Kingdom as the BCCI gave the 31-year-old all the necessary go-aheads to get his preparation going and leave for England on June 2 instead of originally scheduled June 6 with rest of the team.

This is not the first time Rahul has went overseas early to play warm-up games to get acclimatised with the conditions. Last year, Rahul went to Australia early to play for India A ahead of Border Gavaskar Trophy.

It is to be noted that Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan were earlier reported to play for India A in the second game against England Lions. Will Gill being appointed as Indian Test captain, he will directly play in the first Test with no change in Sudharsan's travel plans.

Why are India A games played?

The India A games offers newcomers/less experienced players a massive chance to get acclimatised with the conditions overseas along with the emerging red-ball cricketers who would stake a claim for Test spots. 

The India A squad features players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Dhruv Jurel, and Karun Nair, who are also in the Test squad against England.

India vs England 2025 Test schedule

• First Test: June 20-24, Headingley (Leeds)
• Second Test: July 2-6, Edgbaston (Birmingham)
• Third Test: July 10-14, Lord’s (London)
• Fourth Test, July 23-27, Old Trafford (Manchester)
• Fifth Test: July 31- August 4, The Oval (London)