Karun Nair Hopeful Of Making A Comeback To The National Side

Karun Nair is perhaps the only Indian batsman after Virender Sehwag to score a triple-century in Test cricket. Karun Nair reached the landmark in only his third Test, which he played against England in 2016 in Chennai. Having not donned the whites for the national team since 2017, the right-handed batsman looks to use IPL as an opportunity to get back in the side.

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For someone with a first-class average of 48 and a Test average of 62 in five appearances, Karun Nair has not received his deserved opportunities. He was in the Test squad when India toured England in 2018; however, had to watch from the sidelines as Hanuma Vihari got the nod instead. In the upcoming IPL edition, Karun will play under KL Rahul for Kings XI Punjab and played only one match last year even as Punjab had plenty of middle-order woes.

Karun Nair believes that IPL is a significant platform for any Indian player and vows to use any opportunity he gets to win Punjab as many games he could. The 28-year old hopes to perform consistently so that opportunities come along and is taking one game at a time.

“IPL is such a big platform for every single player that comes from India. Whatever opportunities I can get, I’ll be looking to do as well as I can to help Kings XI win games. If I can consistently do well then opportunities will come. Just looking at it one game and one opportunity at a time,” Karun said as quoted by Hindustan Times.

“I was able to do well also when he was the coach” : Karun Nair

The Rajasthan-born batsman, who made his debut under Anil Kumble as India’s coach feels delighted to have him as a coach again for the Mohali-based franchise. He underlined that he was able to do well when he was their mentor; hence, positive vibes follow along the way. Karun Nair added that it is a new year and season for them thus preparations have to be top-notch since many have not played for a long time.

“Really happy to have him (Kumble) around. He was the coach when I was given my India debut. I was able to do well also when he was the coach. So only positive feelings to talk about. It’s a new year and new season so it’s important for us to prepare well because all of us haven’t played in so long and then hit the ground running straightaway,” he added.

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