A heated exchange of words between Jasprit Bumrah and Karun Nair on Sunday did indicate the fast bowler was feeling the pressure at the Kotla. And while the Mumbai Indians went on to win the game, Nair won the contest fair and square against Bumrah.
Hammering the world’s best bowler across all formats for three fours and two sixes is no mean feat. Nair’s brilliance (89 off 40 balls) wasn’t enough to pull it off for the Delhi Capitals at home but he proved his ability to replicate his recent success in domestic cricket for Vidarbha in a far more intense tournament like the IPL.
Preparation-wise, Nair scored runs in all the national competitions. Fourth-highest run-getter in this season’s Ranji Trophy (863 runs) with four centuries and an average of 53.93, his numbers in the national one-dayers were simply incredible: 779 runs, five centuries, a mindblowing average of 389.50 and a strike rate of 124.04.
In eight innings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Nair was dismissed only twice. In the national T20 meet too, he averaged 42.50, striking at 177.08. For sure, such
impactful knocks in the domestic circuit are reaping Nair the benefits.
If he goes on to be consistent from here on for the Capitals, he should feature in the discussion when the national selectors and the Indian team management get down to finalise the squad for the England Tests. According to BCCI sources, Nair does have an “outside chance” to make the Test squad straightaway, which would then mark his India comeback after eight years.
“First though, he needs to get runs in the ‘A’ matches in England,” a Board official said on Monday.
600 balls at practice
Vijay Madyalkar has coached Nair since his U-16 days. He elaborated on the 33-year-old’s training methods after being dropped from the Karnataka team without being informed ahead of the 2022-23 season.
“Alongside working on elbow extension and power-hitting, Karun regularly faced 600 balls from a spinner and a side-armer in training under my supervision since then. With such a brilliant mind and rigorous training, he was bound to be successful,” Madyalkar, currently assistant coach at Mysore Warriors in the Karnataka Premier League, emphasised.
