In July 2022, he was dropped from the Karnataka team.
Karun Nair has been picked in the Indian team for the five-match Test series against England. This is a big moment for him, as he last played for India back in 2017 against Australia. Nair’s return comes after years of consistent performances in domestic cricket.
Karun’s breakthrough came in the 2024-25 season as he scored 863 runs in the Ranji Trophy and 779 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, forcing the selectors to take notice.
But this journey wasn’t easy. In July 2022, he was dropped from the Karnataka team. For more than a year, he didn’t play any First-Class cricket. During this difficult time, he searched for answers and a way to bounce back.
To rebuild his game and confidence, Nair turned to his former Karnataka U-19 and U-25 coach, Madyalkar, at the Just Cricket Academy near Bengaluru. Every second day, Nair would travel nearly three hours to train. There, he went through intense sessions to improve his batting.
ALSO READ:
Karun Nair’s coach, Madyalkar, said that when Nair came back, he was mentally down. Instead of discussing why he was dropped from the Karnataka team, the coach focused on improving his batting. They trained without distractions, and Nair faced around 600 balls every other day, including side-arm throws and regular bowlers.
“He was internally broken. I didn’t want to discuss why he couldn’t make the Karnataka team. I just told him not to worry, and we will only look at the batsman in him and refine the skills as much as possible,” Madyalkar says.
“Six months. Every alternate day, he used to come to bat 600 balls precisely, facing the side-arm throwers and other bowlers in our academy,” he added.
This period of hard work helped Nair get an opportunity to play for Vidarbha in the 2023-24 season. He grabbed the opportunity, scoring 1,553 runs in 33 innings, including a standout Ranji Trophy season with 863 runs and a title win for Vidarbha.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.
