The Background:
Karun Nair had become the talk of the town when he scored the historic triple century against England in the Chennai Test. Playing only his third match in the white jersey, the right-handed batsman scored a stunning 303 not out to become only the second India to score a triple hundred in Tests after the legendary Virender Sehwag.
The innings seemed to have earned him some time in the middle-order but surprisingly he was dropped in the very next match against Bangladesh.
He finally got a chance to prove his worth again when he was included in the playing eleven during the four-match Test series against Australia. However, the Karnataka batsman failed to grab the chance, scoring 26, 0, 23 and five in the three Test matches that he played. He failed to impress in the Indian Premier League too but the right-handed batsman has now got a chance to get back his form.
Nair has been included in the India ‘A’ squad for the tri-series against Australia ‘A’ and South Africa ‘A’ and two four-day games against the latter. In fact, he has been given the responsibility of leading the side in the four-day games.
Also Read: (Karun Nair named India ‘A’ captain for South Africa series)
‘The Tour Is Important’
The tour will be a big opportunity for Nair to get back into the scheme of things and the 25-year-old is not taking the opportunity lightly.
“Any game is an important one. That’s how I approach. I’m looking forward to beginning the season with an overseas experience. It is my first tour of SA. So, in that sense the conditions will be challenging and that’s something I’m eager to take on,” Karun told TOI.
‘Captaincy Does Not Affect Batting:
Nair had a torrid time when he led Delhi Daredevils in the absence of Zaheer Khan and he will have the same responsibility when he takes the field with India ‘A’ in the four-day games. However, Nair has insisted that the Captaincy has never affected his batting .
“Captaincy has never affected my batting because when I go out to bat I move into my own space and also, the mindset does that change. Having said that, it is an additional responsibility and I have done well as a captain in the past,” he said.
The ‘A’ tour is clashing with India’s tour of Sri Lanka which effectively rules Nair out of the squad in the senior team. However, Nair is not thinking too much about it and is just looking to do the talking with his bat;
“I think it is early to say I’m not being considered. Also, I don’t think too much about selection processes. I just believe in going out there and allowing my performance to speak for me,” he said.
Also Read: (Triple centurion Karun Nair all set to miss Sri Lanka Tests)