Sarfaraz Khan during India’s Bengaluru Test vs New Zealand.© BCCI

Having tackled challenges of various nature, Karun Nair is on a tough career-rebuilding process but the India batter does not want to look too far ahead as he feels it can make him stuck at one place. It has been seven years since Karun has played a match for India but he has shown a bit of old fire in the last year or so, garnering runs for Vidarbha and for Northamptonshire in English county cricket. “You have to be prepared for the grind. It’s just about the next game. And I’m not looking too far into the future because sometimes you can get stuck in thinking about what’s going to happen,” Karun told PTI on Wednesday. “I’ve had scored a lot of runs in the last one year in all formats. I’ve just been trying to continue doing what I’ve been doing the last one year on every given opportunity…taking every opportunity as a new day,” he added.

The first hint of a positive turnaround in Karun’s career came when he turned out for Northamptonshire in early 2023 when he made 249 runs from three matches at an average of 83 that contained a hundred against eventual champions Surrey.

This year, Karun aggregated 487 runs from seven matches at an average of 49 including a century against Glamorgan.

These are not mind-blowing numbers, but good enough to instil oodles of confidence in a batsman who was struggling to find some purpose in his craft.

“You are playing with a different ball there – literally. Everyone knows for Indian batsmen to go and score runs in England…to play the moving ball is tough. So, I’ve learnt a lot more about myself as a batsman and finding ways to score runs and believing in yourself.

“There are so many things that I’ve learnt in England that, you know, maybe I had it in me but I didn’t realise all this while,” he noted.

Then came the move to Vidarbha from Karnataka during the last domestic season, and it came at the right time for him.

The right-hander was getting frustrated at not getting enough games in his home state, but all that changed once he moved to Vidarbha.

He made 690 runs from 10 matches with two hundreds, helping his side to reach the Ranji Trophy semifinals.

“First of all, it’s the opportunity to play in the Ranji Trophy cricket, which I missed out for a year for reasons that I don’t know. So, I am really thankful to Vidarbha for giving me the opportunity to play first-class cricket.

“So, the aim is to improve on last year and go one step further. And, you know, hopefully we can win a couple of trophies,” he said.

The 32-year-old was understandably disappointed at not getting a first-class match for a full season but he found a shard of positive in that gloom too.

“It’s obviously been a difficult time for me. But probably that one season taught me how to value each game…practice harder, do everything smarter. I think that (non-playing season) has made me stronger and more determined to do well in each and every game,” he said.

“No matter what happens, it’s kind of made me, I don’t know, brought some kind of fire in yourself. So, just like I said, I’m happy with the way I’m batting. I want to keep continuing this way.”

But the last year has also rekindled Karun’s dream of walking back into the Indian dressing room.

“Yes, of course. Everyone plays this game to go out there and represent your country and that’s my only aim now — to play Test cricket again, which I think, I’m very confident that I can. I know that I’m good enough,” he said.

But for now, Karun would like to cap the good beginning to a new season with a title triumph in the ongoing KSCA Maharaja T20 with the Mysore Warriors.

“We’ve crossed the first step, that is to qualify for the semis, which is something that we set out to do when we started the tournament,” he signed off.

Karun Nair’s electrifying century fuelled the Mysore Warriors to a commanding 27-run victory (VJD method) over the Mangaluru Dragons in the second match of the day in the Maharaja Trophy T20 league at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday. Batting first, Karun Nair’s explosive 40-ball century guided Mysore to a formidable total of 226/4 in 20 overs. The Mangaluru Dragons, interrupted by rain mid-innings, were set a revised target of 166 runs in 14 overs but fell well short, suffering their second loss of the campaign.

In the first innings, the Mysore Warriors faced an early setback as Karthik C. A (11) fell to Abhilash Shetty in the third over. Despite this, opener Karthik SU (23) and captain Karun Nair (124*) accumulated 46 runs during the powerplay.

Captain leading from the front!

Watch #KarunNair‘s unbeaten knock of 124* from just 48 deliveries as they post an above par total against the Mangaluru Dragons!

Don’t miss #MaharajaTrophyOnStar | LIVE NOW | Star Sports Network pic.twitter.com/h8NK1EBR26

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) August 19, 2024

Nair showcased blistering form, as the duo forged a 47-run partnership, the second-largest stand of the innings. Karthik S.U, who was dropped twice earlier, finally ran out of luck when MB Darshan dismissed him in the eighth over, leaving Mysore at 61/2.

Nair continued his crafty knock unfazed, sweeping and scooping his way to a rapid 27-ball half-century. At the other end, Samit Dravid (16) was scalped by Nischit Rao, just one ball after dispatching him for a maximum.

Abhilash Shetty’s return to the attack saw Sumit Kumar (15) dismissed, bringing Manoj Bhandage (31*) to the crease. Bhandage remained unbeaten and played a brisk 14-ball cameo, complementing Nair’s relentless assault and constructing an 85-run partnership in 29 balls.

Nair launched two sixes and a four against Paras Gurbax Arya in the 15th over before taking down Nischith Rao with three massive sixes to reach a blistering century off just 40 balls in the penultimate over. His century saw 13 fours and nine sixes.

Nair then finished the innings with authority hammering five consecutive boundaries (6, 6, 4, 4, 4) to power Mysore to an imposing 226/4 in their 20 overs.

The Mangaluru Dragons’ run chase faced early setbacks. Karthik CA struck first, removing Macneil Noronha, and J Suchith outfoxed Rohit K before the fifth over.

However, Nikin Jose (32) and KV Siddharth (50) combined effectively, ensuring the chase remained within reach. KV Siddharth hit four boundaries of Vidyadhar Patil in the sixth over as the Mangaluru Dragons made it 61/2 by the end of the powerplay.

After a brief rain-induced stop in the ninth over, the match resumed with Mangaluru Dragons needing 87 runs in 33 balls to reach their revised target of 166 (VJD method). Nikin Jose departed when he was pinged on the pads by J Suchith soon after resumption derailing the 50-run partnership.

Sagar Solanki (0) went next, followed by KV Siddharth, but only after he brought up his half-century in 25 balls, leaving Mangaluru Dragons at 114/5 in 11 overs. Darshan MB put on 12 runs in six balls, to give the Dragons a flicker of hope but he was soon run out and the Mangaluru Dragons finished at 138/7.

After more than a year away from representing Karnataka and over seven years since his last appearance for India, Karun Nair eyes international comeback on the backdrop of the Maharaja Trophy T20 league. Nair leads Mysuru Warriors, who fell short by eight runs in last year’s final against the Manish Pandey-led Hubli Tigers, and they have high hopes this year. Nair was a standout performer during the 2023 campaign, topping the run charts with 532 runs in 12 innings at an impressive strike rate of 162.69.

The 32-year-old cricketer views this season as critical to his personal and professional revival. Having struggled for regular opportunities in the Indian Premier League (IPL) over the last six years, Nair believes he still has plenty to offer.

Following a year of limited game time with Karnataka, Nair made a strategic switch to Vidarbha ahead of the 2023-24 season, seeking consistent playing opportunities. His immediate goal, however, is to lead the Warriors to the trophy while continuing his journey back to the top.

“They say a player peak at 30-31; I would like to believe that’s true in my case,” Nair told ESPNcricinfo. “The last one-year has been good. After last year’s Maharaja T20, I had a pretty good domestic season.”

Nair’s performance was indeed noteworthy. He scored 690 runs for Vidarbha during their 2023-24 Ranji Trophy campaign, which ended with a loss to Mumbai in the final. His T20 exploits included a match-winning unbeaten 95 off 52 balls in Vidarbha’s record chase against Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Nair also struck a century and a fifty in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, despite finishing with a modest overall tally of 230 runs in seven innings.

Reflecting on his comeback, Nair said, “If you told me at the start of last season that I would score these many runs, I would have taken that. I had been at home for a year, staved off opportunities, and when nothing worked out, I asked myself what I could do. So, when I got the chance, it felt good to be able to contribute again. The tough years have helped me push myself that much more. For me, the most important game is the one I am playing now. Be it a league game or a domestic game, I have learned not to look far ahead.”

Nair’s resurgence led to an unexpected opportunity when he was called back by Northamptonshire for seven County Championship games earlier this year. Despite not featuring in the IPL, Nair spent the early part of the summer in challenging English conditions, where he amassed 487 runs in 11 innings, including a career-best 202 not out.

“I couldn’t even feel the bat because of the layers we were playing with,” Nair said. “It was tough, but pushing myself through those tough conditions and scoring runs gave me a lot of satisfaction. There’s nothing more confidence-boosting than scoring runs on those pitches early in the summer when the ball does all sorts of things.”

Since returning to India, Nair has been focusing on maintaining his batting rhythm after a brief break. Although overlooked for the Duleep Trophy, he remains confident in his game.

“I feel like I’m batting as well as I’ve ever done. I am in a good headspace; I know where my game is. I am just making sure that if I get opportunities, wherever they may be, I focus on making the most of those chances so that I can climb up the stairs again. It’s still exciting to wake up each morning and dream of finding a way back to play Test cricket. That keeps me going. I would love to win trophies; we missed out on the Ranji last year. I will try to correct it this year.”