A viral photo showing Karun Nair being consoled by KL Rahul sparked retirement rumors. However, the photo is from Lord's, not Old Trafford, and Nair has not announced retirement, intending to play for Karnataka in the upcoming domestic season.
Indian veteran batter Karun Nair’s comeback to Test cricket after a gap of eight years was short-lived following his exclusion from India’s Playing XI for the ongoing fourth Test of the five-match series against England at Old Trafford in Manchester.
Karun Nair played his first Test since 2016 in the series opener at Headingley in Leeds and featured in the next two Tests at Edgbaston in Birmingham and Lord’s in London. However. The 33-year-old could not justify his selection to the team as he failed to deliver his best in the first three outings of the England Test series.
The Karnataka batter scores read - 0,20, 31, 26, 40, and 14 and aggregated 131 runs at an average of 21.83. failing to convert his starts into impactful knocks. Due to his inconsistent performances, Team India management decided to take a tough call of dropping him from the playing XI and brought back Sai Sudharsan into the team.
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Teary Karun Nair's picture goes viral, but there is a truth
Amid his exclusion from the playing XI for the Manchester Test, the picture of teary Karun Nair is making rounds on social media. In a picture that went viral on social media, Karun Nair was seen being consoled by his Indian and Karnataka teammate KL Rahul, with the latter’s arm around Nair’s shoulder as the batter was visibly emotional.
It has been claimed that Karun Nair was in tears after being dropped from Old Trafford, and KL Rahul consoled him. The picture spread like wildfire across all social media platforms.
Behind the viral picture of teary Karun Nair, there is a truth. The moment between Karun Nair and KL Rahul was not from the Old Trafford Test, but it was from the Lord’s Test. In the picture, it can be seen that the two Karnataka cricketers were sitting on the Lord’s Balcony, where Karun Nair had just been dismissed in either of the two innings at the Home of Cricket.
The Lord’s has a distinct Pavilion balcony with an iconic white seat and a white and a white railing, which can be identified in the background of the viral image. However, the Old Trafford dressing room and players’ balcony have a completely different structure and backdrop, lacking distinctive white seats and railing seen at Lord’s.
Thereby, confirming that the emotional moment captured between Karun Nair and KL Rahul did not occur during the Manchester Test but at Lord’s earlier in the series.
Is Karun Nair planning to retire from cricket?
Amid the viral picture of teary Karun Nair consoled by KL Rahul, there are several claims on social media that the veteran Karnataka batter is thinking of retiring from his career after failing to make out of the opportunity in the ongoing Test series.
The truth is that Karun Nair has not announced his decision to retire as he is set to return to his state team, Karnataka, in the upcoming domestic season. In the last domestic season, Nair represented Vidarbha, where he witnessed his career revival with his brilliant performance in the Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Karun Nair secured his non-objection certificate from Vidarbha Cricket Association and expressed his gratitude to the association for the support over the last two seasons, while recalling the team’s success in the Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy.
“I'd like to thank VCA for everything they've done for me in the last two years. Whatever I've achieved in the last two years is a credit to how they managed me and took care of me like I was their own. Grateful to the VCA, and all the players and support staff,” Nair said in a statement.
“As a team, we achieved special things. The atmosphere was so positive. The opportunity to lead such an amazing bunch during the Vijay Hazare and achieving success in the Ranji Trophy is something I'll look back on very fondly," he added.
