I Will do Everything to Make Sure I Play All Formats: Karun Nair

Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) batsman Karun Nair revealed that he wants to become an all format player in the coming future. It comes after Nair was back in the Indian Test team after a prolonged gap of almost a year.

The 26-year-old Jodhpur-born Nair will replace Team India regular skipper Virat Kohli in the Test team. India will take on Afghanistan in the iconic Test at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru from 14-18^th June in a One-off Test.

Kohli will miss the Test due to his prior commitments with the English County Side Surrey. He will leave no stones unturned ahead of the tour of England.

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Meanwhile, Karun Nair is currently a part of the Kings XI squad in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).

“I am really excited to be wearing those whites again and representing my country has always been an honour and privilege. I am really looking forward to it,” Nair was quoted as saying by IANS during a telephonic conversation.

The 26-year-old Nair answered when he was asked about the common perception of people that he is a Test specialist.

“Have worked really hard over the last one and half years. My form in the IPL and the way I have batted, I consider myself an all-format player and it’s just about getting those opportunities and making the most of them,” said Nair.

Also Read: IPL 2018: Ajinkya Rahane Fined for Slow Over-rate

“It’s just that finding a spot in the one day team is difficult. I need to do better to get those opportunities and I am on the right track. I will do everything I can with the bat to make sure I play all formats,” he said.

Nair became the only second Indian batsman to score a triple century in Tests as he remained unbeaten on 303 against England in a Test match in Chennai a couple of years back.

The promising batsman Nair will lead the India A side for the four-day game in England. However, he wasn’t picked for India A One-day International series in the same country.

“I am really happy to be leading the team. It’s a great opportunity for us as a team to be playing in England and learning how to play cricket in England,” said Nair.

He played his last Test for India against Australia in Dharamsala last year (2017) before getting dropped in order to accommodate Rohit Sharma in the playing XI.

“We need to learn to adjust to those conditions. For me as a captain, we have a talented bunch of youngsters who are really exciting,” he added. Meanwhile, Nair has had a pretty ordinary IPL so far. He has scored just 246 runs in 11 matches at a below-par average of 24.60. Kings XI Punjab is in a tricky situation after losing 4 of their previous 5 games. They need to win a couple more to qualify for the playoffs,” he stated.

“It’s almost the business end of the tournament. So we need to get our act together. The matches that we have won, we have completely played as a team. Individual performances have helped like K.L. Rahul has batted exceptionally well in some of the games,” he added.

Also Read: IPL 2018: Virender Sehwag Lauds Rajasthan Royals’ Mentor Shane Warne

Karun Nair heaps praise on Ashwin’s leadership abilities –

“Chris (Gayle) has also batted superbly in few games. But it has been a collective effort overall,” Nair said. He also heaped praises on the newly appointed skipper Ravichandran Ashwin who has done quite well in his first stint as a skipper,” he said.

“It’s been brilliant under Ash. He has done exceedingly well as a captain and to be captaining in the IPL for the first time, he has done exceptionally well,” he asserted.

“He has always been a smart cricketer if you look at his bowling he always has different plans for different batsmen and he can change it anytime during the game. Ashwin takes wise and quick decisions which is definitely needed in T20 cricket. I hope we win more games under his captaincy,” Nair concluded.