I have become better player, person: Karun Nair

Karnataka middle-order batsman Karun Nair is in the transition stage, having been a regular in India ‘A’ and now knocking at the doors of the ultimate cricket. He has experienced the Indian team dressing twice, once last year in Sri Lanka when he was named injured Murali Vijay’s replacement for the third Test in Colombo, and recently to fill in Shikhar Dhawan’s place for the third Test in Indore after the latter hurt his thumb.

The 24-year-old right-hander ought to have been scoring tons and tons of runs in domestic cricket to force his way into the Test squad, and not merely make up the numbers as a second choice. By his own admission, Nair is keen to score every game that he plays, the imminent one being for Karnataka against Assam in Ranji Trophy Group B match at the BKC here from Thursday.

“Personally for me, I would like to score every game. So, there is always pressure for me. Personal motivation or personal pressure is always there that I score every game. It doesn't matter if others are putting pressure on me. You cannot shy away from that. At the end of the day, as long as you are getting runs, you are happy, everyone is happy, and you get your chances,” Nair said here on Wednesday.

After having a fruitful IPL for Delhi Daredevils, the runs dried up from the Karnataka right-hander’s blade on the India A tour of Australia. He averaged 9.50 in the two first-class games in Brisbane and 21 in six List ‘A’ matches in Townsville and Mackay with one fifty in each format.

“I was batting really well. It’s just that I was getting out in the 20s that was frustrating for me. It wasn’t that I was playing badly. It was just the kind of series where you’re playing well but aren’t getting the runs that you want to get.

“Having said that, I’ve become a better player playing there for one-and-a-half months. I think I’ve improved a lot mentally and batting-wise. That has helped me grow as a person as well, because I had to deal with staying away for 50 days, as well as getting frustrated at getting starts and not converting. If I look back, I’ve become a better player and person. So, even if I didn’t get runs, that tour really helped me.”

Lessons from Kohli

Also helping him, besides India ‘A’ coach Rahul Dravid, who has also been his mentor in the IPL teams that they have been together, was the lessons learnt from Virat Kohli, the Test captain, by sharing the dressing room.

“Kohli as a captain is a very positive person. He looks at things positively and wants to do everything positively. That will help the team. Once the captain is positive, the team tends to follow the captain. The things I have learnt from him is to be positive and aggressive, always looking for that extra wicket or being aggressive while batting,” Nair admitted.

Nair also had the experience of holding the ICC Test mace presented to Kohli’s men after the Indore Test earlier this month for attaining No. 1 rank in Test. 

“For me personally, it was a great feeling. The team would cherish it more because it has been working really hard to get there. I was there for just one Test match. I can say I was lucky to be part of that Test. I could experience the feeling of being No. 1 and enjoyed with the team. I have to congratulate the team because they have been working hard and they will continue to work hard to improve.”

Improvisation has become an essential in today’s cricket, and Nair is not lagging behind. A regular middle-order batsman at No. 3 or 4 for Karnataka and India ‘A’, he has not found difficult in opening against the white ball in limited-overs cricket.

“I have always wanted to open. I only open in one-dayers and T20s. I have opened in IPL for Rajasthan Royals and in junior cricket as well. Opening is nothing new to me. I am prepared to play wherever the team asks me to. If you are opening against the white ball, it is the best chance to score as many runs as possible. You have got the whole number of overs. So, any batsman should take it up blindly when given the opportunity to bat up the order.”

Having said that, Nair is aware that he will figure in the middle-order should he earn his Test cap someday, though he has been called as replacements on the two occasions for injured openers.

“I don't think I will be opening in Tests. I will be playing in the middle-order. I am not thinking about that,” he said, adding in the same breath that he has not been told by the Indian team management his preference.

‘Rahul has made most of opportunity’

Nair has seen his Karnataka team-mate KL Rahul evolve from close quarters. Both are of the same age-group. “Rahul always had the game to play higher cricket. It is just that he has got the opportunity and made use of it. He has got the runs, so once you get runs at that level, you get the confidence that you belong there. It takes your game to the next level and you go from there. Again, it is just about making use of the opportunity you get and he has made full use of it. He obviously works hard on his batting and everything,” said Nair of his friend.

Like Rahul being an automatic choice in the Indian team for the amount of runs he has scored whenever the opportunity arose – one of the very few Indians to score centuries in all the three formats in international cricket – Nair is also keen to stay in the Indian team.

“Anyone would have that eagerness to represent the country. Having said that, I need to get more runs on the board so that I can push for my place. I feel that I’ve to get bigger scores now so that I’m there in the reckoning always. If I get an opportunity, I’m ready to play.

“Once you get there, you want to stay there. You don’t want to be coming back (to domestic cricket) and going through the grind again. It is hard but you’ve to push for your place and keep scoring runs. I’m only looking forward to doing that, and the rest will take care of itself.

“There are times when you get frustrated, and then there are times when you get eager. It just depends on how well you can deal with it. Like I said, as long as you get runs on the board, nothing else should matter.”

Among the biggest takeaways from the small experiences Nair has had in the Indian team dressing room is learning how the team-mates prepare. “There are lots of things to learn from the others. How they play, how they prepare before a game, how they take care of themselves on and off the field. There are so many things to learn which you can’t explain, or which you can’t learn in a week. You need to be there. And more than staying there, you need to be playing matches to get better, so that you play at that level, and get better.”

The confidence with which Nair spoke and the eagerness to improve on his game convinces many that this batsman is determined to make the most from now on.