NOT many get a second chance at 33. But Karun Nair kept his desire to play for the nation once again burning bright. He scored runs in tons in domestic cricket for Vidarbha in all the three formats and the selectors, who had earlier found it difficult to accommodate him in the squad, finally considered him on the first available opportunity. “The team management wants to give long rope to those who are already selected and are performing well,” newly-appointed India Test captain Shubman Gill had said during an international match in Nagpur when he was asked about Nair’s monumental efforts being overlooked. Fortune favours the brave, they say. And to his luck, one may say, that not one but two spots in the Indian line-up were created all of a sudden.

 

Skipper Rohit Sharma and former captain Virat Kohli, who had already retired from Twenty20 version after the World Cup triumph, decided to call it a day in Tests, too, before the England tour. And there he was! Back again in the Indian fold after eight long years. The persistence has paid and Nair has been selected in the 18-member Indian squad for next month’s tour of England, on Saturday. During that long period when he was out of the national reckoning, Nair remained unyielding. He explored new channels and joining English County side Northamptonshire was one such move. In 2023, he made 249 runs from three matches at an average of 83 for Northants, including a hundred against eventual champions Surrey. A year later, Nair aggregated 487 runs from seven matches at an average of 49, including a century against Glamorgan for his County side. But those numbers were not strong enough to spark a national return but were good enough to give him confidence. “Everyone knows, for Indian batsmen to go and score runs in England … to play the moving ball is tough. So, I’ve learnt a lot more about myself as a batsman and finding ways to score runs and believing in myself,” Nair had said on his England tours. His decision to move from Karnataka, where he seemed sort of unwanted, to Vidarbha, was another good move.

 

The two-time Ranji Trophy and Irani Cup champs welcomed Nair and the diminutive right-hander did not disappoint. He scored 690 runs from 10 matches with two hundreds and three fifties. The top-order batter pushed his stocks another rung up in the 2024-25 season, amassing 863 runs from nine matches, averaging 54 with four hundreds. Nair continued with his top form in white-ball cricket scoring 779 runs from seven matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy one-day tournament with five centuries. His average stood at an astonishing 389.50. His super show with the willow and his inclusion in the Indian team became a topic of national debate. And, finally the selectors rewarded him. The onus is now on Nair to carry on with his domestic show at international level.