Returning to the Test fold for the first time in seven years, since he was dropped for the final match of India’s 2018 series in England, Karun Nair has said he was advised to retire during the lows he endured while away from the national side.
Post the 2022 domestic season, Nair was snubbed from all formats by Karnataka. The right-handed batter went nearly 14 months without any competitive cricket before finding a revival through a County Championship contract with Northamptonshire. Nair revealed that a prominent Indian cricketer said retiring to focus on T20 leagues would provide him with financial security.
“I still remember a prominent Indian cricketer calling me and saying you need to retire because the money in these leagues would make me secure,” Nair told in an interview with the Daily Mail. “It would have been easy to do, but I knew that regardless of the money, I would be kicking myself for giving up that easily,” the 33-year-old said as he recounted the incident from two years ago.
“I was never going to give up on playing for India again. That was just over two years ago and look where we are now,” he insists. “It’s crazy but deep down, I knew I was good enough.”
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Nair has strengthened his case to make the India Test XI again after making a roaring comeback during the India A clash against England Lions recently in Canterbury. Nair slammed a double-century against the Lions side, marking his 5th First-Class century since the start of the year where he led Vidarbha’s run to the Ranji Trophy title with three knockouts centuries.
India head coach hailed Nair’s perseverance before the team’s first hit out in England ahead of the first match, starting on Friday in Headingley.
“No matter how many runs you have scored – what matters most is that never-say-die attitude, that never-give-up mindset. That’s what has brought you back into the team. It’s something that inspires the whole world,” Gambhir said in a BCCI.tv video.
Having featured in six Tests between 2016-17, Nair amassed 374 runs, including a record-breaking 303 not out against England in , nine years ago.
