Karun Nair Emerges on Selectors' Radar Following Fourth Consecutive Century in Vijay Hazare Trophy amidst India's Kohli-Rohit Conundrum

It has been 13 months since his viral post, and the 33-year-old cricketer is making headlines once again. According to a report in The Indian Express, he is back on the selectors' radar after an impressive performance in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. With 664 runs under his belt, including four consecutive centuries, he has played a crucial role in leading his new team, Vidarbha, into the semifinals.

“It was an emotional moment when I put that tweet,” he told the national daily after smashing an unbeaten 122 runs as Vidarbha beat Rajasthan in Vadodara in the quarterfinals.

The most fascinating aspect about his ongoing List A run is that he is yet to be dismissed in this Vijay Hazare Trophy tournament, where he scored five centuries. His scores read: 112*, 44*, 163*, 111*, 112*, 122*. It is currently the most runs scored by a batter in the history of List A cricket without being dismissed. Nair is also only the second batter to score five centuries in a single edition of the tournament after Tamil Nadu’s Jagadeesan, and the third to record four consecutive centuries in List A cricket.

"As India enter a transitional phase, with seniors Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli struggling in Tests, Karun happens to be a player that the selectors are watching with keen interest," read the report. However, it is yet to be seen if the Ajit Agarkar-led committee will consider the right-hander for the Champions Trophy or keep him in mind for the Test tour of England in June.

'For six-seven months, when I didn’t play any cricket'

Following that tweet in 2022, Nair spent most of his days at Just Cricket Academy in Bengaluru, under the watchful eyes of coach Vijay Madyalkar, where he solely focussed on long hours of batting. “For six-seven months, when I didn’t play any cricket, all I did was travel three hours a day just to have a net session. I had no other option. I wasn’t considered for any format and I was really emotional at that point of time. I had to move on and work on myself. Moving on wasn’t easy, I needed a couple of months to get over it and then start practicing my skills and mindset. I would say, I was just preparing myself so that when I got another opportunity, I was not going to give anyone an excuse to drop me. For that, I needed to score runs and be consistent. So I just worked hard to get that back in my game,” he said.

But he was still without a team, which is when former India international and current BCCI GM Abey Kuruvilla came to his rescue.

“He was my selector during my U-19 days, and I had the freedom to walk up to him and say, ‘Sir, I’m looking for a team to play, could you please help’ and that’s how I moved to Vidarbha. I’m really thankful for him and for the Vidarbha association because I was just looking for an opportunity and when it came, I just wanted to grab it,” Nair added.

Following an impressive run in his maiden County season for Northamptonshire in 2023, Nair scored 690 runs in the 2023/24 Ranji Trophy season. He returned to County with a double century, followed by a century in Ranji Trophy during the 2024/25 season, but he turned heads with his performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

“Everyone wants to play for their country and I’m no different. I would love to play Test matches again and for that, I know I have to keep doing my job again and again,” Nair concluded.

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