Karun Nair is back where it all began — in England, with the Indian Test team — eight years after he was dropped despite scoring a triple century. Now 33, he says the presence of long-time friends K.L. Rahul and Prasidh Krishna in the dressing room offers “a very comforting factor.”
“Life has come a full circle because I went out of the team in England and now I am coming back into the team in England,” Karun told BCCI. “Playing alongside Rahul and Prasidh is also a very comforting factor. We’ve played cricket for so many years since probably we were young kids and grew up together.”
A strong 2024–25 domestic season — 863 runs at 54, guiding Vidarbha to the Ranji Trophy — earned Karun a recall for the five-Test series against England.
“My first thought when I woke up (after being dropped) was I want to play Test cricket, I want to play for India again… that’s probably what kept me going,” he said. “Every day I used to wake up thinking what should I do to reach that goal.”
Karun says he is mentally more patient and self-forgiving now. “I always think about positives, have certain goals in mind, visualise things and have real belief.”
The moment it hit him that he was back? “When I saw everyone for the first time, that time I realised I am finally in the team.”
“I enjoy the feeling of wearing this jersey… and trying our best to win games for our country.”