Following a year-and-a-half hiatus from representing Karnataka and more than seven years since his final India appearance, Karun Nair is targeting an international return.
Karun Nair is aiming for an international comeback against the backdrop of the Maharaja Trophy T20 league, having been away from representing Karnataka for more than a year and having missed more than seven years of his previous appearance for India. Mysuru Warriors, managed by Nair, had high expectations for this season after losing to the Manish Pandey-led Hubli Tigers by eight runs in the previous year’s final. In the 2023 campaign, Nair was a standout performance, topping the run charts with 532 runs in 12 innings at a remarkable strike rate of 162.69.
This season, in the 32-year-old cricketer’s opinion, is crucial to his personal and professional comeback. Nair thinks he still has a lot to give, despite his struggles to get regular opportunities in the Indian Premier League (IPL) during the past six years.
After a year of little playing time with Karnataka, Nair strategically moved to Vidarbha in anticipation of the 2023–24 season in search of regular playing time. But his immediate objective is to continue his ascent back to the top while leading the Warriors to the trophy.
“I would like to think that’s true in my case; they say a player peaks at 30-31,” Nair said to ESPNcricinfo. “The past year has gone well. I had a respectable domestic season following the Maharaja T20 last year.”
Nair gave a remarkable performance. During their 2023–24 Ranji Trophy season, which ended with a loss to Mumbai in the final, he amassed 690 runs for Vidarbha. His T20 achievements included a match-winning, undefeated 95 off 52 balls during Vidarbha’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy record chase against Bengal. Nair finished the Vijay Hazare Trophy with a respectable total of 230 runs in seven innings, but he also hit a century and a fifty.
“If you had told me at the beginning of last season that I would score this many runs, I would have taken that,” Nair remarked, looking back on his comeback.
After a year of being at home, I resisted possibilities and wondered what I could do when nothing worked out. It felt fantastic to be able to contribute once more, so I took advantage of the opportunity. I’m able to push myself to new limits because of those difficult years. The game I’m playing right now is the most significant one for me. I’ve learnt not to plan too far ahead for games, whether they’re league or domestic.”
Due to his comeback, Nair was given an unanticipated chance earlier this year when Northamptonshire invited him back for seven County Championship games.
Nair played in tough English conditions during the early part of the summer, amassing 487 runs in 11 innings, including a career-best 202 not out, despite not playing in the IPL.
“I couldn’t even feel the bat because of the layers we were playing with,” Nair claimed. It was difficult, but I had a great sense of accomplishment when I was able to overcome the difficult circumstances and score runs. When the ball does all kinds of tricks on those surfaces early in the summer, nothing gives you more confidence than to score runs on them.”
After a short hiatus, Nair has been concentrating on keeping up his batting rhythm since arriving back in India. He is still confident in his game even if he was passed over for the Duleep Trophy.
“I believe that I’m hitting better than I have ever done. I am playing to my strengths; I am in a good frame of mind. All I’m trying to do is make sure that, whenever I have the chance, I seize it and work hard to get back up the stairs. The prospect of returning to play Test cricket keeps things intriguing every morning when you get up. It sustains me. After missing out on the Ranji last year, I would want to take home trophies. This year, I’ll try to fix it.”
