The tour of England was a new beginning for Karun Nair. A golden opportunity to give direction to your Test career again and eradicate the previous bitter memories. Tis of the 2018 tour, when he was ignored despite joining the team, was still in his heart. This time it was expected that they would prove themselves on this platform, but things did not remain as easy.
In three Tests, he gave a glimpse of his talent, but could not play any big innings. In six innings, he scored 131 runs at an average of 21.83, with his highest score of 40. Despite showing dedication with the bat, neither a half -century nor a decisive innings filled with confidence. In the last innings, Bridan Karse got out of his struggle, without playing shots off the ball.
Such moments test the player making a comeback. When the god of cricket is challenging his mental strength, self -confidence and patience. Karun’s confidence is not staggering. He neither looks nervous nor irritated. During the batting, his body-language remained balanced, especially on flat pitches of the first two Tests, where he also showed some stability. But a big innings still remains a distant thing.
Karun’s unbeaten innings of 303 runs, which he played against England in Chennai in 2016, is still his biggest claim. But the same innings has now become a pressure of his career. The good performance for Vidarbha and Northamptonshire in the last two domestic season gave him a place in the team again, but when he returned to England, he needed to get out of the shade of that triple century.
In Leeds, from where he started a comeback, being dismissed for zero on the very first ball would have been a shock for any player. However, in the later innings, he made some small scores, such as 20, 31, 26, 40, 14. could not score a half -century or a century. He has been constantly struggling in search of a decisive innings.
After the last day of Lord’s Test, India needs 135 runs to win and six wickets left. After this, the fourth Test will be played on July 23 in Manchester. Meanwhile, captain Shubman Gill and mentor Gautam Gambhir will have to decide whether they move forward with Karun or give Sai Sudarshan a chance. This strategic decision can decide the direction of Karun’s future.
Karun may have to sit outside, and if this happens, he will first accept it. Sometimes everything does not work in the game according to you. But what matters is that Karun Nair is still not defeated.
