Vidarbha’s star batter Karun Nair is been in conversation a lot lately for his batting abilities at the age of 33. The batter, recently scored a century in the Ranji Trophy finals against Kerala, which is also his 9th century of the 2024-25 season. However, the batter, despite playing brilliantly and scoring runs, has denied commenting on getting a place in Team India. The batter is currently unbeaten at 132 (280) at the end of Day 4 to help Vidarbha with a lead of 286 runs.
Karun Nair in Team India
Karun Nair began playing for India in 2016, joining the ranks with six Tests and two One Day Internationals (ODIs) to his name. In one of his early matches, his third Test against England in Chennai, he made a big impact by scoring an unbeaten 303 runs. This innings is still remembered as the third-highest score for a maiden century in Test cricket. Despite this incredible performance, Nair’s form dipped in the following innings, and with strong competition from players like Ajinkya Rahane and Hanuma Vihari, he lost his place in the team. Since then, he hasn’t played for India again.
Karun Nair on India selection again
When asked about his future with the team, Nair remained humble. “I’m not the right person to ask. I cannot comment on that. I have to just say that I have to keep performing in every game that I get and if it happens, it happens. I have to do my job to the best,” Nair shared with reporters.
Despite usually being reserved in celebrations, after hitting a century, Nair showed nine fingers towards the Vidarbha dressing room, an inside joke with some teammates. “I’d been speaking about it before this match that I’ve got eight (centuries), if I score another one, I’ll show nine,” he explained later. This gesture was a light-hearted moment shared with his team, especially with Yash Thorat, one of the sidearm throwers who regularly assists in practice sessions.
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Karun Nair’s future
Originally from Karnataka, Nair gave over ten years to his home state in domestic cricket. However, in 2023 he switched to Vidarbha, taking a season-long contract. Recently, there was buzz about him potentially playing for Kerala before he decided to move to Vidarbha. When asked about his plans, Nair chose to keep things open-ended. “Let this season end first,” he said. “I had joined for this season. Obviously, I want to play but there is a lot of time left. First let’s get past tomorrow, a lot of matches are coming up and we will see,” he added, highlighting the tension and many opportunities ahead.
