Karun Nair hasn’t had the easiest return to life on the international stage, not quite able to match his production and consistency on the domestic level.
In the first three matches of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Karun got a handful of starts but was never able to convert to a big one, forcing the team management to drop him, before turning back to him for the fifth and final Test match.
As the players walked off for stumps on Day 1, Karun on 52*, broadcast cameras picked up the Indian batter receiving a nice gesture from English batter Joe Root, one of the modern batting greats in Test cricket, as he commended Nair for his solid innings thus far. Root, who has been busy breaking records in this series, understood the gravity of the moment and how much it might have meant for Karun to finally come good on the faith shown in him during this series.
Drop down the order does the trick for Karun
Nair finally made his chance count while batting at number five, registering only his second career 50+ score in Test cricket, his first since that famous 303* in Chennai in 2016. It was a fine hand on Day 1 at the Oval, in green, overcast, seaming conditions that saw Indian batters not able to put on any runs of significance – all except Karun, who finally took a start and converted it to a milestone.
It has been a long and arduous road back to international cricket for Karun, who switched from Karnataka to Vidarbha in the domestic circuit, finding consistent success with both, before firmly landing on the radar for re-selection with an impressive IPL campaign. It has been a difficult journey, and a non-linear one, but Karun’s persistence earned him a literal pat on the back from one of the greats.
However, job not quite done for Karun, as he tried to push India closer to the 300 mark alongside Washington Sundar when the pair return to bat on Day 2 at the Oval. India currently stand on 204/6 after the first day’s play, a respectable but vulnerable total in conditions that are the bowling-friendliest the series has seen thus far.