England spinner Rehan Ahmed said that he understood the challenges of playing Test cricket on Indian soil. Starting Thursday, January 25 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, England and India are set to lock horns in a five-match series.

Back in December 2022, Rehan made his Test debut against Pakistan at the National Stadium in Karachi. He picked up seven wickets in that game, including a five-wicket haul, but hasn’t played a Test match since then.

After missing all the Tests that England played in 2023, Rehan made his return to the national team. He is one of the four spinners for the visiting team on the tour of India, along with Shoaib Bashir, Tom Hartley and Jack Leach.

“I’ve accepted it’s going to be hard. I’ll try my best. That’s all I can control. I’m just looking forward to playing Test cricket again. The least I could do is make sure I’m fully ready for whatever I can be for England,” Rehan was quoted as saying to The Telegraph.

“There’s a lot of time for IPL and stuff if I get the chance again, and if I don’t get the chance to do it, I’m fine with that as well. I spoke to a couple of people – if you want a long career, you don’t want to burn out too soon. Just being ready for England is my main priority,” he stated.

Rehan Ahmed inspired by Shane Warne’s flippers

The 19-year-old Rehan also said that he would look to bowl flippers after taking inspiration from the legendary Shane Warne.

“I don’t like focusing on new things while in competition – I keep it as simple as I can. But I’m sure when I have two or three weeks off I can put my head down and work on something special. I think the flipper’s a nice ball to have, especially in T20 cricket – even Test cricket, the way it’s going right now. Flipper’s a nice ball to have, seeing Warney the way he used to bowl it as well, the way he used to set batsmen up,” Rehan added.

Rehan has 24 wickets in first-class cricket from 13 matches at an economy rate of 3.73 with two five-wicket hauls to his name. Apart from bowling leg-breaks, Rehan is also handy with the bat, having scored one century and four half-centuries.