Karun Nair had waited for nearly a decade to re-enter India’s Test team. During this time, Karun Nair had his share of ups and downs. At one point, Karun Nair even struggled to regularly make his domestic side. But after switching states and an impressive turnaround in the last 12 months, the 33-year-old got the selectors by his side.
Karun Nair not only made India A’s side but also the main team. Fascinatingly, it was a tour of England that had seen him leave the Indian team. And as luck would have it, it would be England against whom he was to get a second crack at Test cricket. Karun Nair’s 2022 tweet, where he asked dear cricket to give him a chance, had come true.
Karun Nair received India call-up after 8 years following which he expressed how he felt after getting to know about his selection. He mentioned that this was the moment he was waiting for and the 33-year old batter was grateful to be back. Karun Nair is popularly known for his triple century in Test cricket and was present in International setup since 2017.
Karun Nair had an exceptional domestic season that forced selectors to pick him, in the Ranji Trophy Karun Nair amassed 863 runs in 9 matches this also included four centuries. In Vijay Hazare Trophy he scored 779 runs in just 8 innings which also included five centuries. Karun Nair’s fantastic performance was the reason Vidarbha won their maiden Ranji Trophy title.
Headingley Test ends in an disappointment for Karun Nair
However, things haven’t gone so well for Karun Nair on his return. Feeling the nerves, he scored a 4-ball duck in the first innings. But it wasn’t over. Karun Nair had another chance. He had come out to bat in a favourable situation in the first innings but failed to make it count. And cricket gods gave him yet another opportunity. But Karun Nair has failed once again. With the scorecard reading 287/4, he walked in to join KL Rahul. The opener had already scored a hundred. The lead was 293. Karun Nair couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity.
But he was tentative. The fear of failure was playing on his mind. He defended and defended. By the time the new ball was taken by England, he had gotten his eye in. This was his test. And now, he seemed to start feeling it. Karun Nair had reached 19, but Rahul departed in the 85th over.
And it was his job to continue with Ravindra Jadeja. But in the very next over, he hit a full ball in the slot to drive it into the hands of Chris Woakes. And an easy caught and bowled chance that Woakes didn’t miss. Karun Nair stood there in disappointment. He couldn’t believe what he’d done. A 20-run knock was all he could muster. However when everyone has trolled Karun Nair harshly for his performances, former Indian wicket keeper now commentator Deep Dasgupta has backed the batter to bat at No 3. in the 2nd test ahead of Sai Sudharsan
Deep Dasgupta backs Karun Nair to bat at No 3 despite his failure in the 1st Test
Former India stumper Deep Dasgupta reckons that Karun Nair should bat at No. 3 in the second Test against England in place of Sai Sudharsan. Admitting that dropping Sai Sudharsan after just one match would be a tough call, Dasgupta opined that Nair batting at No. 3 would give better flexibility to the batting.
India went down to England by five wickets in the first Test at Headingley in Leeds. Set to chase a challenging target of 371, the hosts got home courtesy of Ben Duckett (149), Zak Crawley (65) and Joe Root (53*), with Jamie Smith (44*) also chipping in with a handy contribution.
Looking ahead to the second Test, which will be played at Edgbaston in Birmingham from July 2 to July 6, Deep Dasgupta backed left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav to find a place in the playing XI. In a video shared on ESPNcricinfo, he commented:
“Obviously, you don’t want to make too many changes after the first game. But, this is a very young side, so you’ve got to get the combination right. Birmingham is usually a batting-friendly venue. I would love to see Kuldeep there. The advantage of having a top five among runs is you’re not too worried about contributions from your No. 8 with the bat.”
The 48-year-old also suggested that India could look at moving Karun Nair up the order. Dasgupta pointed out that the cricketer has plenty of experience of batting at the one-down position and elaborated:
“Karun Nair has got most of his runs in first-class cricket and all at No. 3. Also, he batted for India A against Lions at No. 3. So you might want to look at Karun Nair at No. 3. That opens up a scape for someone like Nitish [Reddy] at No. 6 who, if required, can give you a few overs of seam-up.”
On the possibility of Sai Sudharsan being left out after being handed his Test debut at Leeds, Dasgupta stated that an honest conversation can be had with the youngster.
The former India keeper stated:
“Sai, I will have chat with him and say, this is not a reflection of what happened in the first Test, but a combination thing. So, that conversation becomes very important – how you put it across.”
While Karun Nair registered scores of 0 & 20 in his comeback Test in Leeds, Sudharsan was out for 0 & 30 on debut. Dear cricket gave Karun Nair a chance, but so far he hasn’t been able to make it count. He’ll hope that the management trusts him again in the remaining 4 matches of the India vs England Test series.
Having lost the Leeds Test from a strong position, Team India will need to lift themselves quickly. The second Test of the five-match series begins at Edgbaston in Birmingham from July 2.
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