Nair has been in sensational form for Vidarbha in the domestic circuit
Karun Nair has been waiting for over eight years for a chance to play for India after a mesmerising triple century against England in Chennai back in 2016.
He played two more Tests after that and suddenly was no longer in the national team picture. Like that disappointment wasn’t enough, Nair was also let go by his state team Karnataka in 2023 after over a decade.
His tweet of “Dear cricket, give me one more chance,” had become viral after his sparsely-believable tally of 779 runs from eight innings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Vidarbha with a jaw-dropping average of 389.
Even though he finished that tournament with a runners-up medal seeing his former domestic team lift the title, Nair got his hands on silverware as Vidarbha clinched the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy.
The 33-year-old played a significant role in that victory as he amassed 863 runs from 16 innings which included four hundreds and two fifties at an average of 53.93.
All that hard work came to fruition when he was named in India’s squad for the England Test series beginning from June 20.
Nair revealed that he came to know about the good news just like everyone else, through BCCI’s announcement early on Saturday.
“Grateful to get back, happy and proud and fortunate. Found out like all of you found out. Was eagerly awaiting the call, got a lot of messages from close ones,” Nair said in the post-match presentation after Delhi Capitals beat Punjab Kings in Jaipur.
Nair celebrated his comeback with a match-winning contribution of 44 off 27 balls at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium as DC dented Punjab Kings’ chance of a top-two finish in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 table.
Following his excellent domestic run, Nair started off his IPL 2025 with DC in spectacular fashion scoring 89 off 40 balls. However, his form tailed off drastically, scoring mostly single-digit scores while batting in the top-order.
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He revealed how he was able to score a key innings against Punjab Kings on Saturday.
“I thought I was a bit hurried in the few games I played. I was playing too many shots too early. Coaches spoke to me and said ‘why don’t you take some time and then go after the bowling,’” Nair said.
Nair has also been picked for India ‘A’ squad set to play two four-day games against England Lions from May 29 onwards.
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