Karun Nair is fighting his way back into the game, navigating a tough rebuilding phase after facing a variety of hurdles. While he hasn't worn the India jersey in seven years, the batter has recently shown glimpses of his former brilliance by scoring heavily for both Vidarbha and Northamptonshire in England.
Karun Nair is undergoing a difficult career-rebuilding process after overcoming challenges of various nature, but the Indian batter is reluctant to look too far ahead because he believes it could cause him to become stagnant. Karun hasn’t played for India in seven years, but in the past year or so, he has flashed some old fire by producing brilliant batting performances and scoring runs for Vidarbha and Northamptonshire in English county cricket.
In an interview with PTI, Karun explained that he's mentally prepared for the long haul, focusing strictly on one game at a time. He believes that overthinking the future can lead to stagnation. The 32-year-old noted that he has been consistent across all formats for the last twelve months and is simply trying to maintain that momentum by treating every match as a new beginning.
The turning point for Nair came in early 2023 while playing for Northamptonshire, where he averaged 83 and scored 249 runs in three outings, including a century against Surrey. This year, he added another 487 runs over seven matches, highlighted by a century against Glamorgan. While these numbers might not be world-shattering, they have provided crucial confidence to a player who had previously lost his way.
Nair highlighted the technical challenge of playing in England, noting that dealing with the moving ball is a notoriously difficult task for Indian batters. He mentioned that this experience helped him grow, teaching him new ways to score runs and, more importantly, helping him believe in his own abilities again.