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It's Karun Nair's time to reap the harvest as his years of hard work and resilience finally paid off on June 20, Friday which marked his long awaited return to India's playing XI. Karun Nair scripted history after he featured in the India's playing XI in the first Test against England at Headlingley in Leeds. The 33-year-old's appearance on Friday marks his return to the Test arena after a hiatus since 2017.
Karun Nair's historic return to India's playing XI
Apparently, Nair returned to international cricket after a gap of 3006 days, precisely (8 years, 2 months & 23 days).
Nair's return was propelled by a powerful statement with the bat, a commanding double century against the England Lions in a warm-up match. This innings, a well-timed 204, served as a potent reminder of the exceptional talent that had previously captured the attention of the cricketing world. His path back to the national team has been defined by the sheer volume of runs he has consistently scored.
This recent success is a stark contrast to the challenges that followed his early career high. In 2016, Nair etched his name in history by becoming only the second Indian to score a Test triple century, an unbeaten 303 in just his third match. However, this fairytale was short-lived, as he played only three more Tests before being dropped. The prospect of an international return seemed to fade, reaching a low point in 2022 when he was omitted from Karnataka's Ranji Trophy squad.
Undeterred, Nair has rebuilt his career through strong performances in domestic cricket and county cricket with Northamptonshire. His comeback truly gained momentum during the 2024-25 domestic season with Vidarbha, where he was instrumental in their Ranji Trophy victory, accumulating 863 runs at an average of 53.93. This impressive red-ball form was preceded by an extraordinary performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he scored five centuries in eight innings, finishing with an astonishing average of 389.50.
Nair’s comeback is the fourth-longest gap between two Test appearances for an Indian players, i.e 77 matches. Notably, Indian cricketers with longer gaps are Jaydev Unadkat (118 Tests, 2010–2022), Dinesh Karthik (87 Tests, 2010–2018), and Parthiv Patel (83 Tests, 2008–2016).
118 - Jaydev Unadkat (2010-22)
87 - Dinesh Karthik (2010-18)
83 - Parthiv Patel (2008-16)
77 - Karun Nair (2017-25) *
56 - Abhinav Mukund (2011-17)
Nair will look to make the most of the opportunity he has re-earned with his sheer batting prowess.
Talking about the match, England won the toss and invited India to bat first in the first Test
What did captains say after the toss?
After losing the toss, India captain Shubman Gill:
"Would've bowled first as well, might be a bit tough in the first session but it should be good to bat on later. Sun is out, should be a good batting deck for us. Preperation has been amazing, we played a practice game in Beckenham, lads are feeling great. Sai makes his debut, Karun comes in. Sai will bat at three."
Meanwhile, England skipper Ben Stokes, after winning the toss, said:
"We'll bowl. Headingley is a very good cricket wicket, we've had some really good games here. Want to try and use the early conditions. Been a long time coming, bit strange that this is just the second series but we're ready. It's been mixed, some lads have played county cricket, we've had three days of really good cricket. Usual suspects in the top seven, Woakes, Brydon, Bashir, Tongue and myself make up the bowling."
England'S playing XI:
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes(c), Jamie Smith(w), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir
India's Playing XI:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
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