Gearing up for a comeback into the national team after an eight-year wait, Karnataka batter Karun Nair hopes to make the most of the opportunity and grab it with both hands by virtue of his performances in the five-Test series against England, starting June 20 at Leeds.
Nair has been in phenomenal form and struck a double ton against the England Lions in the first unofficial Test at Canterbury. In the recently concluded IPL 2025 season, he played eight matches for Delhi Capitals and amassed 198 runs, including a half-century.
The 33-year-old made his Test debut against England in Mohali in 2016 and went on to hit an unbeaten 303 in his third Test in Chennai, making him only the second Indian batter after Virender Sehwag to score a triple century in Tests. However, after that historic knock, he only played three home Tests against Australia in 2017 before being dropped from the team due to a series of low scores.
But the right-handed batter never gave up on his dream of returning to the Indian team. After making a bold switch from Karnataka to Vidarbha in 2023, he reignited his career with a stellar domestic season, scoring 690 runs in 10 matches, and then backing it up with 863 runs in nine Ranji Trophy games in 2024. His tally included four centuries, one of which came in the final and played a pivotal role in Vidarbha’s title triumph.
Nair’s resurgence wasn’t limited to red-ball cricket. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he showcased his power-hitting prowess by smashing 779 runs in just eight innings, including five centuries. His form caught the attention of IPL scouts, leading to his acquisition by the Delhi Capitals for ₹50 lakh in the 2024 IPL mega auction.
The retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma from Test cricket last month, presented an opportunity for Nair to reclaim his lost spot, and vowed to grab that with both hands if he can make his way to the Playing XI.
“Feels really special, very grateful and very fortunate to be able to get this opportunity again and really looking forward and excited to grab this opportunity with both hands,” Nair said in a video posted by BCCI on social media.
“Not sure actually, I’ve to experience that feeling myself and just go out there and feel it for myself. I’m sure there will be a lot of feelings, ones that I can’t express right now and it will be a special feeling,” he added.
Nair also has an edge over his competitors, thanks to his English County experience with Northamptonshire, where he scored 487 runs in seven games at an average of 48.70, including a double century.
In the pre-training huddle, head coach Gautam Gambhir praised Nair’s comeback to the Test side after eight years and said, “Comebacks are never easy. Someone who has made a comeback after seven [eight] years had a phenomenal last year. Last year, no matter the runs you have got and most importantly, that never-die attitude, never-giving-up attitude, that is something which has got you back into the team. That is something which is inspiring for this entire world. Welcome, Karun.”
His former Karnataka teammate KL Rahul recalled how Nair worked hard on his cricket and spent months alone in the UK to reclaim his spot in the Indian team.
“I’ve known him for a very long time and the months that he spent here in the UK playing cricket and how hard and how lonely it was. For him, to be able to do all of that and come back to the Indian team is special for him, his family and friends like us who’ve seen his journey. So, like I said, very inspiring as well, and hopefully, his experience and learnings from playing county cricket here will hold him in good stead when he plays the Test matches here,” Rahul said in the video.