It was every bit a fairytale return. Karun Nair, the Indian cricketing sensation with a triple hundred in his bag, was given a golden chance a return to the Indian Test team after 3006 days, almost eight years after he last played.
For most cricketers, that’s a whole career. But Karun deserved this chance. Not in hype, but domestic form with consistent performances in cricket. And yet, where it is today, his tale hangs in the balance-less a victorious comeback, more of a cautionary story.
Red-Hot Domestic Form Demanded a Recall
Karun was the key player as Vidarbha lifted the Ranji Trophy in the 2024–25 season. He was the fourth-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 863 runs from 16 innings at a rate of 53.93, with four centuries and two fifties.
But it was his dazzling performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy that really turned heads – 779 runs in a mere 8 innings, at a fantastical average of 389.50 and strike rate of 124.04, with five hundreds. He wasn’t knocking on the door; he was breaking it down.
Return to England, Familiar Grounds, Familiar Struggles
Karun reinforced his argument with a double century against England Lions, demonstrating that he was ready. The cricketing fraternity was ecstatic about his return. But the fairytale has yet to go according to script.
Back in the Indian Test XI, Karun began at No.6. But the comeback wasn’t favorable: a four-ball duck in his first innings, and a scratchy 20 off 54. At Edgbaston, he got starts 31 and 26 but couldn’t make them count. And then there was Lord’s.
With India under trouble and Jofra Archer breathing fire, Karun walked in and played with intent. Together with KL Rahul, he survived the storm. He seemed poised, timing the ball beautifully. But just as he began to settle, he edged one playing away from the body and Joe Root pulled off a blinder.
Karun was out for 40, yet another promising knock left incomplete.
The Numbers Tell a Tough Tale
In 5 innings, Karun has scored 117 runs, an average that hardly shows against the red-hot rhythm of Shubman Gill, who has 601 runs from the same number of matches.
What’s a miss?
Not a great deal technically but enough to count at this level. He’s playing okay, getting in, hanging on through the difficult spells and then getting out. As Cheteshwar Pujara put it in commentary:
“He’s consistently getting past that difficult stage, and then he gets out. It’s not that the balls are not playable it’s that he’s not cashing in when he needs to.”
Pujara’s Technical Diagnosis: Stuck on the Crease
Pujara also pointed to a technical shortcoming, Karun seems stuck on the crease, sometimes not able to move forward or back conclusively. That hesitation is costing him dearly.
“He needs to move his back foot better, or commit to the front foot. When you’re stuck in between, that’s when mistakes happen. Hopefully he fixes it quickly because time is running out,” Pujara added.
The Pressure of Competition: Clock Ticking for Karun
India’s Test squad is brimming with contenders:
Sai Sudharsan made a strong case in the first Test and is waiting in the wings.
Abhimanyu Easwaran, a homeboy who has been a consistent performer, is also urging for a breakthrough.
Dhruv Jurel, having impressed with India A, is also knocking.
The battle for middle-order positions is intense and Karun is the first to go if he continues to fail again.
“If he does not score in the second innings, the team might consider someone like Sai,” Pujara cautioned. “You don’t get too many opportunities at this level.”
A Fairytale With a Deadline
Karun Nair’s resurgence has the makings of a movie come-back story, home rule, gritty grit, and a return to the big time. But cricket is an unkind sport. Unlike in films, real-life fairytales don’t always conclude with a century and a standing ovation.
If he does not deliver soon maybe in the second innings at Lord’s this chapter of his life may shut as abruptly as it reopened.
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