In-form Indian batter sparks selection talks for India's Test team after 8 years

Karun Nairrsquos cricketing journey has been nothing short of a Shakespearean drama grand highs gutwrenching lows and a dramatic resurgence worthy of the silver screen In December 2022 the middleorder batter once celebrated for his iconic 303 not out against England in Chennai took to X formerly Twitter with a heartfelt plea Dear cricket give me one more chance At that time his career seemed to be fading into the rearview mirror of Indian cricket Fast forward 1213 months and Nair has turned his narrative on its head reportedly reigniting hopes for a national comebackDespite that historic triple century his career inexplicably veered into the shadows as Indias Test plans moved on without him But in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy Nair has orchestrated a cricketing masterclass that has left selectors including Ajit Agarkars panel no choice but to pay attentionConsider his staggering stats scores of 112 44 163 111 112 and 122 all unbeaten in six innings an unbeaten streak that has yielded over 600 runs Not only has Nair topped the charts for most runs scored in a single List A tournament without being dismissed but he has also joined an elite club of just three batters to notch four consecutive centuries in List A cricket Moreover his five centuries in one edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy put him in rarefied air alongside Tamil Nadus Narayan JagadeesanIt was an emotional moment when I put that tweet Nair admitted to The Indian Express after smashing an unbeaten 122 and stitching a 200run stand with Dhruv Shorey for Vidarbha against RajasthanFor sixseven months when I didnrsquot play any cricket all I did was travel three hours a day just to have a net session I had no other option I wasnrsquot considered for any format and I was really emotional at that point I had to move on and work on myself he said baring the emotional toll of his exileMoving on wasnrsquot 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 gameNairrsquos name is reportedly being floated for a Test recall with India entering a transitional phase as stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli inch closer to the twilight of their redball careersAs India enters 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 reported The Indian ExpressIronically not too long ago Nair was scrambling to find a team to play for Enter Abey Kuruvilla a former India international and now a BCCI GM who came to his rescueHe was my selector during my U19 days and I had the freedom to walk up to him and say lsquoSir Irsquom looking for a team to play could you please helprsquo Thatrsquos how I moved to Vidarbha Irsquom really thankful to him and to the Vidarbha association because I was just looking for an opportunity and when it came I just wanted to grab it Nair explainedHis dream remains steadfast Everyone wants to play for their country and Irsquom 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 said Nair one of the rare triplecenturions in Test cricket as he signed off with quiet determination