Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) batsman Karun Nair seems to have confidence in his teammate KL Rahul, who will be leading the franchise in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Karun said that Rahul is someone who loves to be at his very best, adding that it is the quality of a leader. The 28-year-old predicted that KXIP can be expected to well in the IPL 2020 under the leadership of KL Rahul in UAE.

Karun Nair explained that Rahul has the ability to stay calm under pressure and his experience of leading India (during the final T20I against New Zealand when Rohit Sharma walked off the field) will help during the tournament.

Describing the same during a chat with Times Now, Nair said, “All of us have grown up together and we know each other really well. He is someone who loves to be the best of his ability at all times. That is a trait that every leader needs to have. He is someone who likes to push himself and inspires people around him by his work ethics. I am sure he has all the necessary tools to captain us in this year’s IPL. We will go a long way in the upcoming tournament.”

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He further elaborated, “In addition, he is generally very calm under pressure and never gets flustered by any hype or intense situation. In the one game that he did captain the international team (during Team India’s bowling in fifth and final T20I versus New Zealand early this year), so all that will help him.”

When asked about former Indian skipper, Rahul Dravid, Karun called him an inspiration as he has the capability to drive the youngsters towards excellence. Nair explained that Dravid never sies away from offering help to the youngsters and make them feel comfortable while coaching them.

Karun Nair had a rocking start to his career in 2016 when he became only the second Indian after Virender Sehwag to scored a triple century in the longest format of the game. While he is proud of his unbeaten 303-run knock, he acknowledged that he hasn’t performed consistently in the domestic cricket to earn a comeback in the national comeback. 

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Explaining the same, Karun said, “It is, in fact, something which I can look upon and always go back and feel proud of. It is something that is never going to go away from me, so you need to look only at the positives. Honestly, the comeback has not happened and I have not got many chances from thereon. But for that to happen, whenever I have come back to domestic cricket, I have not been consistent enough to put up my hand and say that ‘I need to be playing in the XI’.”