Karun Nair: A feel-good comeback story to root for in 2025

He has a name that no true Indian cricket fan hasn’t heard of. Most importantly, Karun Nair’s case is a reminder that being discarded for several years does not necessarily mean an end to one’s international career. 

In December 2016, in just his third Test innings, Nair became India’s second triple-centurion with a mammoth 303 not out in his team’s total of 759/7 declared in Chennai. But 54 runs from his next three Test matches put an abrupt halt on Nair’s Test career. 

Since he was discarded from India’s plans post the tour to England in 2018 – where he watched on as Hanuma Vihari, not part of the original Test squad, was flown in and handed a debut ahead of him, and subsequently went to Oxford Street and splurged on expensive purchases to lift his mood – Nair then lost form and confidence was dropped by his state team, Karnataka. He was given another chance to impress by Vidarbha and grabbed it with both hands, quite literally. 

Nair has since transformed his career, amassing 836 runs at an average of 53.93 for the reigning Ranji Trophy winners and contributing 752 runs in the last Vijay Hazare Trophy. Not long ago, he marked his return to an IPL 11 after 1077 days with an eye-catching 22-ball half-century which was his first in the league since 2018. Recalled to India’s Test squad, Nair scored a double-century in the first of two unofficial Test matches between India A and against England Lions. 

But there can be no better feeling for Nair than being on the cusp of a return to Test cricket. He looks set to bat at No 5 in the first Test, given the chances that India hand a debut to B Sai Sudarshan at one-down and bat the new captain Shubman Gill at No 4. 

This is an example of a cricketer who has prospered after a time when his skill and temperament were questioned. In an interview this week, Nair stated that a prominent Indian cricketer advised him to announce his retirement so that he could earn money playing T20 leagues around the globe, and also of how before he got a chance to play county cricket with Northamptonshire in 2023 and 2024, while he was playing village cricket with Burbage & ER in East Wiltshire, that team-mates and opponents asked him what he was doing at that level.  

Nair is proof that good things can indeed come to those are who dropped and return to domestic cricket, and testament to sheer mental fortitude and patience. He did not retire, he did not waver and he did not give up on his dream. 

Getting a crack with Northamptonshire has significantly impacted his recall, having totaled 736 runs in 10 matches at an average of 52.57, which included a double-century. Is that specifically that vital county experience in English conditions that helped Nair earn a recall for the Test squad, and now, coupled with these India A matches, the nearly forgotten man of Indian cricket is on the cusp of a dream taking shape into reality.

This Indian team has a relatively inexperienced look to it, now that the trio of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin has retired, with a 25-year-old at the helm, a 23-year-old opener entering his first series in English conditions and a potential debut at No 3 for another aged 23. 

In such a situation, with five Tests to play, getting the most of experienced men like Nair and KL Rahul, both 33, could prove decisive. What Nair lacks in terms of international experience, being away from Test cricket for eight years, he can make up for in the vault of domestic and county cricket he’s played since. But the most significant factor, should he succeed in his second coming, could well be Nair’s self-belief. 

Sport offers second chances to many, and Nair’s determination is testament to how hard work and belief can overcome obstacles. He is back in the Test squad having rewritten his story. His drive has transformed a career from the depths of despair to a second coming at the highest level, and from here, irrespective of whether Nair climbs the heights of success, the fact that he did not fade away into domestic obscurity should be remembered. He has proved, through sheer hard work, that it’s never too late for a comeback in cricket.