Karun Nair was a few days shy of turning 25 when he made his Test debut against England during a home series in 2016. By the time, the series ended, Nair had become the second Indian to score a triple century in Test cricket. The future appeared bright.
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Cut to 2024 and Nair has only managed just six Test matches so far with the last of them coming way back in March 2017. A packed middle order and dip in form has meant the former Karnataka cricketer hasn’t been able to find his way back into the national setup.
It’s been over seven years since he last took the field in India whites but at 32, Nair sill harbours dream of making international comeback.
“I feel like I’m batting as well as I’ve ever done,” Nair told ESPNcricinfo. “I am in a good head space, I know where my game is. I am just making sure if I get opportunities, wherever it may be, the focus is on making the most of those chances so that I can climb up the stairs again. It’s still exciting to wake up each morning and dream of finding a way back to play Test cricket. That keeps me going. I would love to win trophies; we missed out in the Ranji last year. I will try to correct it this year.”
Having moved to Vidarbha last year after not being picked in Karnataka squads, Nair scored 690 runs for his new domestic side in Ranji Trophy 2023-24 as they made it to the final. Earlier this year, he represented English county club Northamptonshire in seven games and continued his form with 487 runs spread across 11 innings.
“I couldn’t even feel the bat, because as it is we were playing with so many layers,” Nair recalled his last county season. “It was tough, but pushing myself through those tough conditions and grinding it out gave me a lot of satisfaction. There’s nothing more confidence-boosting than scoring runs on those pitches early in the summer when the ball does all sorts of things.”
Nair feels he’s at the peak of his batting form right now.
“They say a player peaks at 30-31, I would like to believe that’s true in my case. The last one year has been good. After last year’s Maharaja T20, I had a pretty good domestic season,” he said.
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