Karun Nair played his last red-ball game for India in 2017.
Nair is currently captaining Mysuru Warriors in the Maharaja Trophy T20 league. They fell short by eight runs in last year's final against the Manish Pandey-led Hubli Tigers, but have high hopes this year.
The 32-year-old was a top performer during the 2023 campaign, finishing as the leading run-getter with 532 runs in 12 innings at an impressive strike rate of 162.69.
Having struggled for regular opportunities in the Indian Premier League (IPL) over the last six years, Karun Nair sees this season as critical to his personal and professional revival.
After a year of limited game time with Karnataka, Nair moved to Vidarbha ahead of the 2023-24 season, seeking consistent playing opportunities as he believes he still has plenty to offer.
"They say a player peak at 30-31; I would like to believe that's true in my case," Nair told ESPNcricinfo. "The last one-year has been good. After last year's Maharaja T20, I had a pretty good domestic season."
Karun Nair's batting display was indeed impressive. He amassed 690 runs for Vidarbha during their 2023-24 Ranji Trophy campaign, which ended with a loss to Mumbai in the final. His T20 exploits included a match-winning unbeaten 95 off 52 balls in Vidarbha's record chase against Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Nair also slammed a century and a fifty in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Reflecting on his performances, Nair said, "If you told me at the start of last season that I would score these many runs, I would have taken that. I had been at home for a year, staved off opportunities, and when nothing worked out, I asked myself what I could do. So, when I got the chance, it felt good to be able to contribute again. The tough years have helped me push myself that much more. For me, the most important game is the one I am playing now. Be it a league game or a domestic game, I have learned not to look far ahead."
Earlier this year, Karun Nair got the opportunity to play for Northamptonshire in seven County Championship games. He aggregated 487 runs from 11 innings in challenging English conditions.
"I couldn't even feel the bat because of the layers we were playing with," Nair said. "It was tough, but pushing myself through those tough conditions and scoring runs gave me a lot of satisfaction. There's nothing more confidence-boosting than scoring runs on those pitches early in the summer when the ball does all sorts of things."
Since returning to India, Nair has been focusing on maintaining his batting form despite being ignored for the Duleep Trophy.
"I feel like I'm batting as well as I've ever done. I am in a good headspace; I know where my game is. I am just making sure that if I get opportunities, wherever they may be, I focus on making the most of those chances so that I can climb up the stairs again. It's still exciting to wake up each morning and dream of finding a way back to play Test cricket. That keeps me going. I would love to win trophies; we missed out on the Ranji last year. I will try to correct it this year."
(With IANS Inputs)