Team Indias BGT Loss Shifts Focus On Forgotten Triple Centurian Who Is Now Ready For New Innings | Exclusive

“It was a very emotional moment for me. I felt like I was nowhere. It took me some time to get over all of that and you know getting started from zero. I told myself that I had to start from scratch and that I had to go one step at a time. My only goal was to play well for my team,” Karun said.

Dear cricket, give me one more chance.
— Karun Nair (karun126) December 10, 2022

Over time, we have seen two versions of Karun Nair, firstly, when he played for India and scored a triple century against England in 2016 and became only the second batter after Virender Sehwag to do so. Despite reaching this massive feat, he was dropped from the Indian team. Cut to now, after seven long years, the right-hand batter has made 664 runs in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. The 33-year-old has notched up five centuries in six innings while playing for Vidarbha. However, this journey was not as easy as it seemed. Nair had not only changed his approach but his understanding of the game has also matured. 

“I think the only difference is the age. Probably, I have understood my game in a sleek manner. I am more aware of the situations and what to do or not to do. These are the differences, to be honest”, Karun Nair said. 

During the 2023-24 Ranji season, Karun made 690 runs after a great outing for Northamptonshire in his maiden County appearance. Karun played three matches and scored 78, 150 and 21.  As Team India suffered a humiliating loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as batters failed to live up to expectations, the fans are eager to see a change in the batting lineup. Nair’s recent performance makes him among the top contenders for Team India’s Test playing XI.

 Record Alert 

Vidarbha captain Karun Nair has now hit the joint-most s in a season in the #VijayHazareTrophy, equalling N Jagadeesan’s (2022-23) tally of 5 centuries! 

 Relive his fantastic knock of 122* vs Rajasthan in quarterfinal IDFCFIRSTBank | karun126 pic.twitter.com/AvLrUyBgKv
— BCCI Domestic (BCCIdomestic) January 12, 2025

“I did not make any changes in my batting. It was the first time I went to play county cricket. I was watching a lot of videos of certain bowlers to get an idea of the conditions. All I was telling myself was it does not matter how many runs I score, I just wanted a stage to learn how to play in these conditions. It gave me a lot of confidence as I was able to stay there for a long period of time. I realised that I am good enough to play in these conditions”, the 33-year-old batter said.

After playing so many years for Karnataka, he was dropped. Karun then decided to shift his base to a new state, Vidarbha in Maharashtra.  “I was warming my sofas at home. My only option came when I wanted to play in the DY Patil tournament in Mumbai. Things went well and I took part in the tournament as a guest player. Then I got to meet Abey Kuruvilla who had known me since my U19 days. I went up to him and told him I needed a team to play domestic cricket. That is how Vidarbha came in between and I got to play for the team”, he told ZEE News.

Talking about the IPL, Karun Nair went unsold in the 2024 edition of the cash-rich league. He did not get any buyers in the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League.  “I was a bit shocked when I did not get picked in the IPL 2024, citing the fact that I did well in the Syed Mushtaq Ali and the Maharaja Trophy. I realised that I had to live with it and needed to do something different. I just decided to go to play county cricket”, Karun said.

Nevertheless, the veteran batter was roped in for Rs 50 Lakhs by the Delhi Capitals for the upcoming IPL 2025. While talking about his preparations he said, “I think there is so much more cricket I will be playing before the IPL 2025. I want to take one step at a time. I will start focusing on it once I am done with the domestic matches”.

Just like every other player, Karun also wanted to play for his home team in the IPL. But then he is focused on contributing to the team he is playing for. “You always want to play for your home team, so yes, RCB (is my first choice). But then, I will do my best for the team I play for. I am glad Delhi Capitals picked me and really grateful for that,” he said.

The right-hand batter thinks he is fit enough to play his favourite format of the game as he has been proving his mettle for a long time.  “My favourite format is Test cricket. I want to play Test cricket and I think I can play this format”, Karun signed off.