After nearly eight years in the wilderness, Karun Nair has finally clawed his way back into the Indian Test setup. Once celebrated for his magnificent triple century against England in 2016, Karun mysteriously vanished from the selectors’ radar, failing to find a place in the XI despite his monumental feat.
Since then, he’s toiled away in domestic cricket, letting his bat do the talking, and it’s that relentless grind that has earned him a recall for the upcoming five-match Test series against England. Before the big series, Karun Nair got a crucial opportunity to prove himself in India A’s match against England Lions in Canterbury — and he grabbed it with both hands.
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With India A in a spot of bother following the dismissals of Abhimanyu Easwaran and Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun anchored the innings brilliantly. He combined first with Sarfaraz Khan for a 181-run stand, and after Sarfaraz fell for 92, he stitched another valuable partnership with Dhruv Jurel, who missed out on a ton by just six runs.
Not everyone gets a second chance! But when you do make it count, like #KarunNair! 👊🏻
The Indian batter roared back in style with an unbeaten 186 against ENG A which helped IND A finish at 409/3 at the end of Day 1! 🔥
Watch Day 2 of Unofficial Test 👉🏻 #ENGAvINDA | SAT, 31st… pic.twitter.com/qDwND4X9w1
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) May 31, 2025
Returns, scores a double hundred and celebrates by kissing the 🇮🇳 badge!
This is Karun Nair 🔥 pic.twitter.com/x5FH8br1kV
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) May 31, 2025
Returns, scores a double hundred and celebrates by kissing the 🇮🇳 badge!
This is Karun Nair 🔥 pic.twitter.com/x5FH8br1kV
— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) May 31, 2025
Karun Nair’s double century — brought up in confident fashion — not only powered India A into a strong position but also sent a clear message to the selectors: he’s ready for another shot in the Test arena. This knock might be especially satisfying for the 33-year-old, who had tweeted back in 2022, “Dear cricket, give me one more chance.”
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That chance has finally arrived. With seasoned campaigners like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma stepping away from the longest format, India needed someone with experience and resilience in the middle order — and Karun, after years of waiting, has emerged as that man.
