“Karun Nair Matches Record in Vijay Hazare as He Aims to Revive India Career”|

Karun Nair is making quite a comeback through the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, bating with amazing form as he tries to rediscover himself after being overlooked to the Indian National Team. Famed for making a triple-century on his very first Test for India in 2016, the batsman hasn’t been overlooked for the country’s national squad despite his notable performance.

The Vidarbha captain, Nair has now equated the record of Narayan Jagadeesan scoring five centuries in the tournament. Nair with scores of 112, 44, 163, 111, 112, and 122 showed consistency that ensured Vidarbha reached the semis, demonstrating his worth for the team.
In an candid interview, he recalled the toughest phase of his career, especially the time when he was dropped from the Karnataka squad. He credited his second chance in Vidarbha to relentless hard work and resilience, dedicating himself to improve both skills and mindset in a period of frustration and self-doubt. He said, “For six-seven months, when I didn’t play any cricket, all I did was travel three hours a day just to have a net session. I had no other option.”. I was not considered for any format, and I was pretty emotional at that point of time. His target was quite clear-to score heavily and cement his position in the team.

Nair’s dream continues to be that of playing Test cricket for India again, since he boldly announced his aspiration of making a comeback in 2024. “Everyone plays this game to represent their country, and that’s my aim now — to play Test cricket again. I’m confident in my ability and believe I can achieve it,” he confirmed.

Karun Nair’s International Career: Rise and Fall

The Indian national team has been a tale of incredible highs and frustrating lows for Karun Nair. His debut in 2016 was promising when he scored a historic triple century in the final Test against England, where he scored 303* in Chennai and became only the second Indian to score a triple century in Tests after Virender Sehwag. However, despite this fantastic achievement, Nair was inexplicably dropped for the next Test match against Bangladesh, and his career trajectory took a downward turn.

After his triple century, opportunities for Nair with the national team were hard to come by, and even when he did get chances, he could not capitalize on good starts to achieve big scores. He was removed from the side after a sequence of poor shows, including one against Australia in 2017, and hasn’t been picked up since then. His last Test was against Australia in Dharamshala, March 2017.

The exclusion was attributed to a preference for a balanced team composition, but Nair has expressed frustration over the lack of clear communication from the selectors and team management about his role within the team. Despite these setbacks, Nair remains determined to continue his journey and make a successful return to international cricket.