Was eagerly awaiting the call, says Karun Nair after India comeback
Senior batter Karun Nair feels “proud and fortunate” at his return to the Indian Test team after a long gap of eight years and says he was “awaiting this call” having done well in the last 12-16 months in domestic circuit.
The 33-year-old Nair was on Saturday named in the 18-member Indian squad for the five-match Test tour of England beginning June 20 after scoring big runs in the 2004-05 season. He last played for India in 2017.
“Really happy and proud. Have been batting well in the last 12-16 months. It’s about keeping my processes the same and do the same things that have worked for me,” Nair said after his side Delhi Capitals beat Punjab Kings by six wickets in an IPL match here Saturday night.
Nair was dropped from the national team in 2017 soon after becoming India’s second triple centurion in Tests.
“Grateful to get back, happy and proud and fortunate. Found out like all of you found out (about his selection). Was eagerly awaiting the call, got a lot of messages from close ones,” the right-handed batter said.
His performances were instrumental in Vidarbha winning the Ranji Trophy in the 2024-25 season. In the Ranji Trophy, he plundered 863 runs in nine matches with four centuries, while in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he amassed 779 runs in just eight innings, including five centuries, performances that paved the way for his return to the Indian team.
Speaking about Saturday’s victory which helped Delhi Capitals finish the season on a high note after failing to qualify for the play-offs, Nair said the result showed that they were a good team.
“Feels amazing, we truly deserve this. Haven’t been at our best. But tonight shows we’re a good team that had bad games,” he said.
While young Sameer Rizvi won the Man-of-the-Match award for his maiden IPL fifty, Nair chipped in with an invaluable 44-run knock off 27 balls to keep DC in the game in the middle overs.
“I’ve been hitting the ball really well, came into the tournament with a lot of runs. Confidence was high. I was playing too many shots too early, coaches told me to take my time and then go big,” Nair said.
