Vijay Hazare Trophy: How Karun Nair's cricketing career revived after switching from Karnataka to Vidarbha?

Indian batter Karun Nair has been in an extraordinary form in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. The Vidarbha batter displayed his remarkable skills with the willow and consistently scoring runs for the side. 

Nair's consistent performance is one of the reasons behind Vidarbha's qualifying for the knockout stage of the 50-over domestic tournament, where they made it semifinal against Maharashtra after defeating Rajasthan in the quarterfinal, wherein the 33-year-old played an unbeaten 122 runs off 82 balls to help the side chase down 292-run target in 43,2 overs. 

Karun Nair is currently the leading run-getter in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy season, amassing 664 runs, including 5 centuries, at an exceptional average of 664 in seven matches. He was dismissed only once in the tournament and holds the record for most consecutive runs without getting out in a List-A tournament. Nair’s impeccable form has been a talking point in Indian cricket, with BCCI selectors keeping a close eye on his performance. It has been reported that the Vidarbha batter is on selectors’ radar amid his impressive run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. 

Karun Nair’s possible return to Indian team

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selection committee seriously took note of Karun Nair’s extraordinary performances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, possibly giving him a second chance in the Indian team, especially Test Cricket. 

“The selectors are watching Karun Nair as they look set to replace Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in Test cricket. However, it is not confirmed if the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee will give him a chance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and the Test series in England.” a source close to the BCCI told Indian Express. 

After scoring a triple century in the Chennai Test against England in 2016, Karun Nair struggled to cement his place in the team due to inconsistent performances and he was later dropped from the squad. The Jodhpur-born cricketer failed to make an impression in the three Ranji Trophy seasons - 2018/19, 2020/21, and 2021/22, he didn’t score a single century for Karnataka side. 

Also read: Can Jasprit Bumrah overcome fitness concerns to become India's long-term Test captain?

In 2022, Karun Nair made an emotional plea which grabbed the attention of many cricket enthusiasts. He took his X handle (formerly Twitter) and wrote, “Dear cricket, give me one more chance.” This reflected his yearn for redemption after not getting a chance to get back to the Indian squad. Throughout the 2022/23 Ranji Trophy season, Nair was taking throw downs and facing net bowlers. This indicated that Karnataka seemingly moved on from him. 

Not getting to play a single match in that Ranji Trophy season was a big setback for Karun Nair as the domestic cricket was the platform for him to showcase his skills and get back to the Indian team since he was not getting a consistent opportunity in the IPL in the last few seasons. 

Nair’s switch from Karnataka to Vidarbha witnesses career revival 

After sensing that Karnataka might consider for the future after being sidelined from the 2022/23 domestic cricket, Karun Nair decided to obtain Non-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the state association and ply his trade for Vidarbha. 

Nair’s decision to switch from Karnataka to Vidarbha has proven to be a masterstroke as it enabled him to rejuvenate his failing career and rediscover his form. Ever since he joined Vidarbha cricket in 2023, India’s second triple centurion has been completely in redemption mode. In the last Ranji Trophy season, Karun Nair amassed 690 runs, including a century and three fifties, at an average of 40.58 in 10 matches. 

In the ongoing edition of India’s premier domestic tournament, the 33-year-old has aggregated 289 runs, including a century and a fifty, at an average of 48.16. In Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last year, he aggregated 255 runs, including 3 fifties, at an average of 42.50 in 6 matches. 

 

 

 

 

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Karun Nair’s blazing form in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy has made him a stand out performer and a key player for Vidarbha. It has been an emotional domestic season for the batter since that tweet as he didn’t play cricket for six months after being sidelined by Karnataka team management. 

Karun Nair’s second chance at his cricketing career has seemed to have shaped up with a good first round of Ranji Trophy, followed by Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and now, Vijay Hazare Trophy, which have potentially opened doors again for him to make a return to Indian team. Also, Nair's current form is a big positive for Delhi Capitals ahead of IPL 2025.