Karun Nair reflects on the emotional toll of being ignored after his heroic knocks.
It’s been eight years since Karun Nair last played a Test match for India. But that could change this Friday at Headingley, Leeds, as cricket is all set to give him a ‘second chance’. Recalling his England tour in 2018, Nair revealed that every day felt brutal after being told that he would not be playing.
“There was a game left, but that was my tour done. It was just a case of getting through it and going home. Every day was brutal. I wasn’t picked after that,” said Nair on a BCCI video.
The 33-year-old Nair was left out of the playing XI for the fifth and final Test of the series by captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri. The team management called Hanuma Vihari from India and handed him a debut. As a result, Nair, the second Indian to score a triple hundred in Tests, warmed the bench in all five matches.
The Karnataka batter also mentioned that he felt lonely and went on a shopping spree, hoping that would make him feel better.
“I’ll never forget that hour when the news hit me. I didn’t know what to do or who to talk to, so I went for a walk all the way to Oxford Street and started to buy anything and everything. I was never the sort of guy who was after expensive stuff, but it dawned on me — why am I waiting for things to happen when I have no control?” he added.
Finally, Nair has returned to English shores on the back of tons of runs in domestic cricket across all formats. Meanwhile, he conquered his two County stints and the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 to earn a Test call-up again. He proved his selection right with a stunning double century in the first unofficial Test against England.
In the 2024–25 season, he amassed 863 runs in nine matches at an average of 54, helping Vidarbha clinch its third Ranji Trophy title. In 10 matches for Northamptonshire, across two County Championship stints (2023 and 2024), he racked up 736 runs, a hundred and four half-centuries, averaging 62.34. His highest score was 202 against Glamorgan.
Playing for Delhi Capitals (DC), Nair scored 198 runs in eight matches at a strike rate of 172.17 in IPL 2025.
Overall, Karun Nair has amassed 374 runs in seven innings across six Tests. He averages 62.33 with his best score of 303 not out. However, he is yet to play a Test outside India.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube.
