Karun Nair has had his moments in IPL but Karun Nair, one of the only two triple centurions for India in Test cricket, has not quite gone on to become a T20 mainstay. Not that his Test career took off in the manner it was expected to after the monumental 303 against England in 2016.
As far as IPL is concerned, being asked to play different roles at different teams did not help his cause, Karun Nair` reasoned. Despite having had a great start to his IPL career, scoring 330 runs for Rajasthan Royals at a strike rate of 142.24 in 2014, and having played for a few more franchises subsequently, Karun Nair has been unlucky when it comes to establishing himself as a mainstay in T20 cricket.
Karun Nair Said He Has Never Been Main Player In An IPL Team
Smiling, Karun Nair on Monday explained why he could not attain a high degree of success in the shortest format.
“In my opinion, the reason behind that is that I’ve never been the kind of a main player in a team in T20 cricket. If you see, whenever I score runs, there’s someone else who scores better in the same match (laughs),” Karun Nair said in a press release issued by his IPL franchise, Rajasthan Royals.
“…But I’m not really bothered about that at all — all I care about and why I play matches is to help the team win.
“On a more serious note, why people don’t see me as a T20 specialist is because I’ve been asked to play different kind of roles over the years, and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But I’m hoping to have a great season with the Royals and just focus on whatever I’m told to do,” Nair added.
Karun Nair became just the second Indian after Virender Sehwag to smash a triple-hundred in Test match cricket.
Despite his heroics against England in Chennai in 2006, lack of returns in the following series against Australia saw him lose his place in the team. He was, however, picked in the Indian squad for the tour of England in 2018 but he did not get a single game and was dumped from the set-up after the series.
Karun Nair made the debut for India in 2016 against but after playing six Test matches and two ODIs, he was dropped from the team. In 2017, he last played for the Indian team. In six Test matches he has scored 374 runs while in two ODIs, he has amassed 46 runs. In 82 FC games, he managed 5631 runs averaging an impressive 48.12.
Karun Nair Looking Forward To Play For Rajasthan Royals In IPL 2022 And Exited To Play Alongside Sanju Samson
Having had a strong relationship with Rajasthan Royals over the past few years, batter Karun Nair is back in the Rajasthan Royals camp for IPL 2022 and is looking forward to contributing to the team’s success.
“Obviously a lot of things have changed since when I was here (at the Royals) first, but this team always feels like home to me. We have a well-balanced side, and I’m enjoying getting to know all the guys here. It’s an exciting phase in the history of this franchise and I’m looking forward to playing an exciting brand of cricket, which I know the Royals always strive to do,” said 30-year-old Nair, who has also recently become a father.
Having played with Rajasthan Royals’ skipper Sanju Samson before in the IPL, Karun Nair is excited to play with his ‘good friend’.
“I’ve always loved playing with Sanju so I can’t wait to reconnect with him on the ground. We’ve had some really good partnerships over the years and I’m really happy to know Sanju, along with Kumar (Sangakkara) and Zubin (Bharucha), have shown the faith in me to bring me back into the team,” he said.
In 2014 Karun Nair was signed by IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals, where he established himself in the XI, sometimes even opening the batting with Shane Watson. He also had a good IPL in 2016, justifying his price tag of INR 4 crore – when he was sold for 40 times his base price – by playing a key role for Delhi Daredevils at the top of the order.