One of the things that the true Indian cricket lover might have been browsing over the Internet and for quite some time now is the possibility of witnessing a Karun Nair comeback.
For in the true sense of the word, hoping for a Karun Nair comeback seems neither completely out of sight nor an outlandish wish, particularly given the form the Jodhpur-born right-hander is currently in.
In beginning his 2019-20 Domestic Season with a bang, Karun Nair has fired a fantastic 166 for India Red whilst ensuring that the contest with India Blue finished with a draw with shared points. In compiling a beautiful instance of a knock built on the pleasantness of strokeplay and restraint, Karun Nair struck a memorable ton while also bettering his first-inning effort that yielded 99 solid runs.
The agony of having missed out on a hundred by a single run was made better by Karun Nair compiling a classy hundred, one that qualifies to be called a big knock.
A special knock that increases the chances to see a Karun Nair comeback
This was also a special effort for the simple reason that the 166 proves to be Karun Nair’s first first-class century in nearly two years.
An inning laced with graceful strokes on either side of the wicket, Karun Nair’s effort enabled India Red to book their place in the finals of the ongoing Duleep Trophy. Reaching his hundred off a flighted stroke down the ground of a left-arm spinner, it may not be entirely untrue to feel that Karun Nair has upped the contention for a possible comeback into the Indian side.
But let’s rewind the clocks to a period before the appearance of the phrase “Karun Nair comeback” seemed omnipresent and but a morbid reality in the batsman’s cricketing journey.
Back in 2016, Karun Nair played his first-ever Test against England. In the fifth and final Test of an exceedingly bright triumph for India, Karun made headlines for becoming the only Indian batsman after Virender Sehwag to fire a triple hundred.
He would strike a brilliant 303 and would carry his bat all throughout the inning. What was incredible in Karun’s feat was the length of his stay in the middle.
After all, not every day did one see a bat hold ground for 565 minutes.
It wasn’t a knock that came in a defeat. It was an effort that was far from starring in a draw. It gave India an inning victory against an England comprising of proven match-winners: Alastair Cook, Ben Stokes, Stuart Broad, Joe Root, and Jonny Bairstow.
When you strike a hundred immediately after debuting, it’s always special. A Test double is quite simply, double the delight for its fluent run-maker.
But this was no ordinary knock.
Who would’ve thought that a batsman playing cricket’s most fantastical format, spread over a testing period of 5 days would end up striking a Test triple and above all, remain undefeated?
The greatness of Karun Nair’s effort was felt not only in the giant size of his statistical gathering but also in the beautiful bouquets of afterthoughts and observations it generated.
Comparisons with Dravid’s high levels of concentration became common news headline. Some thought, here was a batsman who may even challenge Ajinkya Rahane’s standing in the team make-up. It was exciting to have discovered a batsman who could collect a tall order of runs.
And yet, three years down the line there’s no sign of Karun Nair in the national colors. If not for anything, his talent deserves to be explored, least of all, in the limited-overs format.
While making it to the Indian cricket team and sustaining oneself thereon are separate and onerous challenges, that the Karnataka batsman has the ability to score dollops cannot be doubted.
So is a Karun Nair comeback on the cards? One so wished to know an absolute answer.