Karun Nair has maybe identified the fantastic uncertainties of cricket, and life, greater than most gamers.
He scored a triple hundred in solely his third Test, was dropped for the subsequent (as a result of he had solely stepped in for an injured Ajinkya Rahane). He performed three extra Tests earlier than he was discarded, again in 2017.
Then he was dropped from all of the Karnataka groups in 2022, prompting to write that well-known, heart-breaking tweet of his, “Dear cricket, give me one more chance.”
Cricket did.
Karun has made the very best out of it. He even staked a declare for a spot in the Indian squad for the Champions Trophy with an unreal present on the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Vidarbha, with scores of 112 not out, 44 not out, 163 not out, 111 not out, 112, 122 not out, 88 not out in successive innings. He completed the match with 779 runs at a mean of 389.50.
Now, the 33-year-old needs to make one other assertion, that too in the largest match in the home calendar – the Ranji Trophy final. Interestingly, Vidarbha’s opponent is Kerala, the State the place Karun is initially from and the crew that he had expressed an curiosity to play after the snub from Karnataka.
“I have made sure this season that I have been more consistent and whenever I have got the opportunity to score big, I have fortunately done that,” says Karun. “And another opportunity awaits me in this match and I hope to contribute to the team again.”
He believes his time with Northamptonshire in English county cricket has helped him enormously in what he calls the third innings of his profession. “It has helped me understand my game more, to understand different ways of playing,” he says. “In England, you get to play 90 overs of swing or seam bowling on a day. I have taken that confidence to India.”
Published – February 25, 2025 08:24 pm IST
