On December 10, 2022, winter has just begun in many areas of the nation when Karun Nair, one of only two individuals in Test cricket history to have scored a triple-century for India, tweets something.
It’s not one of those sponsored post tweets or one of those tweets hailing a huge accomplishment or reminiscing about how good things were once upon a time.
It’s a simple tweet begging cricket, the game that raised him alongside the great Virender Sehwag, to give him another opportunity.
That felt a little strange for a guy who is still active, assuming he would have a strike at some point. What he could have meant was a chance at the big time, if on the world scene or, as it turned out, in the IPL.
Karun Nair’s career has been very unstable with many highs and lows. After years of high domestic run-scoring, Karun landed an India contract. He was a member of the Karnataka squad that dominated the circuit, but his national call-up felt the most long-delayed among those domestic veterans.
He was just the second Indian batter, after Sehwag to score a triple century in Test cricket before being dropped in the next game. He only played a few more Tests before being dropped completely.
He has also not featured in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Karnataka since 2021. He has played in eight IPL games since the start of the 2019 season and has never been considered a T20 player.
Karun Nair will replace KL Rahul in IPL 2023
But here he is, filling in for KL Rahul in the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) team, aiming to fill that void. Considering his career so far, it seems like Karun Nair will easily fit in and do well in this new team.
While that may appear to be wishful thinking, it is supported by some cricketing logic and understanding. There were murmurs and complaints around Rahul’s strike even before he was injured, especially since those around him vowed to blast any and all bowling attacks to smithereens.
Karun may have an average strike rate in the IPL (127.75). When he opens, he turns into a whole other beast, striking at 141.29. He also has a 31.93 batting average as an opener with 479 runs scored, showing that he knows how to score runs quickly.
Karun may potentially play the anchor role if the LSG select them, and unlike Rahul, he will enter the IPL with no baggage. If anything, he may be overly grateful for the chance and may bat with an uncluttered head, which has helped Ajinkya Rahane, another batsman who is not regarded as a T20 great, succeed this season.
But set all those stats aside for a moment and consider this from Karun’s point of view. He’s back in the big time, exactly like he hoped. The fact that he gets this opportunity during an IPL season that has already seen its fair share of redemption tales makes you wonder if Karun will be the next to join that list.
Of course, it would be unfair to remove either Karan Sharma or Manan Vohra after a single appearance, especially on a spinning surface against the Chennai Super Kings. Karun, on the other hand, must be talented enough to start for LSG if he was good enough to be brought in as a replacement.
This IPL has been all about clubs putting their faith in players who, in the eyes of many, were past their prime. That story has been attached to Karun for a long time, without ever digging into what caused it.
However, this opportunity may not last forever for Karun. He must make the most of it and take advantage of it while he can. This sport is a lot of things. It is not, however, ungrateful. It remembers everything every cricketer has ever done, and that roulette has now thrown Karun into the deep end.
Cricket is an amusing old game. Karun can now make it even crazy.
