It was the true story of Cinderella when Karun Nair was rewarded for his consistency on the domestic circuit and after a gap of 3006 days he was given a chance to return to the Indian test team. This time period seems like a cricket – you can be one day a star and then you completely forgot. But Karun’s return had merit.
He played a key role in Vidarbh’s triumph in Trophy 2024-25 Ranji’s Trophy and ended as the fourth highest run of the season. He gained 863 runs out of 16 shifts on average 53.93, including four centuries and the two 1950s. Then came the exploitation in Vijay Hazare Trophy, which were simply unreal – 779 runs from eight shifts at a stunning diameter of 389.50 and a strike rate of 124.04, representing five hundred and fifty.
ENG vs Indian, 2. Test day 2: The most important
He not only knocked on the door, but broke them. IPL came around and we all remember how he could go to the great Jasprit Bumrah, who after his five goals pulled on Lord. When he arrived on the English coast, Karun had an immediate impact, recorded double hundreds against England lions and pushed his case. Then came the reward. The cricket gave him a chance and the world rejoiced. However, the story is currently played in a very different way.
So far the story …
In the first test, Karun fired on No. 6 and his return was not in what he had hoped-four duck and then fired at 37, scored 20 out of 54 balls, while India seemed to extend their lead in 400.
Edgbaston’s test saw the flashes of the brilliance when he scored 31, but couldn’t convert it. Then in the second shift he stared again that he was in good contact again, but he only got 26 before he got out. Indian team leadership gave him another chance of Lord.
A 33 -year -old man came to BAT with India in great trouble when Jofra Archer steamed and just released Yashasvi Jaiswal. Karun and Kl Rahul faced music to tea and the duo slowly began to move.
And that was Karun, who seemed to be a little more aggressive and made the strikes. He seemed to play with soft hands and was careful. But then, if you’re not lucky on your side, you just don’t have it.
He found the edge playing from the body and Joe Root created a blind. Indian dough was back in the cottage for 40. Other shifts that promised a lot but still could not deliver.
Karun now has 117 in 5 shifts. For context, SHUBMAN GILL has 601 runs from the same number of shifts.
What goes wrong?
It won’t happen much for Karun. He plays well, but he seems to be looking for ways to get out at the moment. Even the ball he got into on the 2nd day was not unplayable – yet he found a way to let go. That was something Cheteshwar Pujara commented on broadcasters.
“He will have to find his way because he went to the bat when it was difficult. It was difficult for him to negotiate this charm. He always passes around this difficult phase and then gets out. He will have to be mentally harder, try to make sure he looks at the landmark 50.
“It was his fault when he played outside the body. He will have to find his way. He will have to find a way to get around 50. Then he is mentally mentally relaxed, maybe not 100,” Pujara said.
“But when you pass around the 50-brand, mentally, you are relaxed. As a dough you no longer feel the pressure. But it was a good ball, but it wasn’t the ball where you can get out.”
Pujara also pointed out some technical problems with Karun and said that the Indian dough was stuck in its fold, which leads to errors.
“So, like a dough, he was stuck on the fold. That’s something that is a little worrying.”
“I said he had to move with his back leg. If he can bend quickly, either move on the back leg, or maybe try to get on his front leg, because if you get stuck in the fold, it’s a time when you tend to feel the ball and make those mistakes.
Competition is warming up
For Karun, time is running out. And the competition about his place is warming up. Sai Sudharsan, who would feel a little relaxed to lose his place after showing his talent in the first test, waiting in the wings. Then you have another home devotee in Abhimanyu Easwarana, who seems to be patiently deploying his time for the right moment that comes and has an impact.
Even Dhruv Jurel – someone who scored 227 runs during unofficial tests against England Lions, including the three fifties – looks like he will return to the mix after his impressive debut in tests. This will return the scanner firmly to Karun, who now has the three best players breathing on his neck.
Pujara also feels that six shifts are more than enough to make the dough like Karun, his brand in the series. According to Pujary, failure in the second shift could be a disaster for a 33 -year -old.
“Look, if the second shift does not mean a score, then they will look at someone like Sai Sudhasan, because it would get the opportunity to burn in 6 shifts at a time when bats in the other, and if not 50, then team management looks at Sai Sudharsana.”
“When he walked in, things were challenging, but the time he got out was not so difficult. It wasn’t too difficult to negotiate the dough and had to make the best use of your opportunities, because when you play at the highest level when you play for an Indian team, you won’t get too many opportunities.
Stories like this on our film screens always have a fairy tale end. It ends with a hero scoring winning runs or redemption in the form of a hundred. None of these things has happened to Karun yet – and it seems that his story, or at least this chapter, ends.
– ends
Published:
Debodinna Chakracorty
Published on:
12 July 2025
