I am trying to get back stronger: Karun Nair ahead of Ranji Trophy

The last two-three years have been nothing less than a rollercoaster ride for out-of-favor India batsman Karun Nair. The world was at his feet when he scored a monumental triple century against England in 2016. In the process, he became just the second Indian after the legendary Virender Sehwag to achieve the incredible milestone.

After he scored the triple century, it looked like his career would finally take off. However, it all changed after he failed miserably in the following Test series against Australia. He has not played for the national team since that series in early 2017. And with India doing extremely strong in Tests at the moment, it is unlikely he would get a recall any time soon.
What has further hurt his chances more is his average outings in the domestic circuit. While Karnataka recently won the Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali trophies, Karun had a forgettable outing. In six Vijay Hazare matches, he totaled a paltry 66 runs and in eight Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy innings, he gathered 203 runs with a solitary half-century.

Positive ahead of Ranji Trophy
But despite his lean returns in the limited-overs format, Karun Nair made it clear that he is positive ahead of the Ranji Trophy season. The first-class season will get underway on Monday. Speaking about his performances in the Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali trophies, he rued the lack of batting opportunities. At the same time, he also said that he was not worried with his performance.

“I don’t think I have batted enough in the last two tournaments,” he told Sporstar. “Maybe I got a couple of opportunities that I didn’t make use of, but on the whole, I haven’t got enough time. I can’t control that because our top-order batsmen have done really well. As long as the team is winning, everyone is happy. So I am not worried.”

He further said that the baggage of being India’s second only Test triple centurion does not affect him anymore. The right-hander made it clear that he is eager to shed that baggage and start afresh. He admitted that he finds it tough whenever he is reminded of that triple ton before insisting that he is looking to make a strong comeback in Ranji Trophy.

“It has been a long time, close to three years. When people remind me of it, it is quite hard but you have to get on with it. Last season I didn’t get enough runs and I got an injury at the wrong time which disrupted the season. Now I am trying to get back stronger and all I can do is get the bat do the talking.” he said.