Will The Cricket World Finally Give Karun Nair The Recognition He Deserves?

Karun Nair made a remarkable comeback [Source: @drivexpull/x.com]

“Dear Cricket, Give Me One More Chance”

Two years after that heartfelt tweet, Karun Nair finally got his chance and how beautifully he made it count

Karun Nair wasn’t asking for a miracle on that cold December evening in 2022. Just a chance. Just one more opportunity to stand tall on the stage where he once belonged.

Seven words. That’s all he tweeted on December 10, 2022. But those seven words carried the weight of a forgotten triple-century, the pain of a Test career that disappeared overnight and the silence that had followed his fall from grace. not just in international cricket, but even his own state side.

Cut to April 13 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. Delhi Capitals are one ball into a chase of 206. Jack Fraser-McGurk is gone, caught at short cover. Everyone in the dugout looks left, then right, waiting for KL Rahul to walk out. But no. It’s Karun Nair.

And in that moment, you could almost hear the echo of that tweet. Cricket had given him that one more chance.

Three Years Out, A Lifetime Within

It had been 1077 days since Karun Nair last played in the IPL. The last time he crossed 50 in the league? 2520 days ago, the longest gap between IPL fifties ever. But this wasn’t just about numbers. This was about redemption. This was about a man who had been tossed aside, forgotten and left to fight his battles in empty domestic stadiums and quiet English counties.

Karun fought back the only way he knew by scoring truckloads of runs.

This wasn’t a purple patch. This was a man building a case brick by brick.

This was the process he kept talking about.

And finally, cricket listened!

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Karun’s Comeback Wasn’t Flashy, It Was Flawless

Delhi Capitals had stumbled right at the start. But Karun walked in with that same calm he showed when he made 303* on Test debut. The first ball was a scorching yorker from Deepak Chahar. Nair brought his front foot down, bat perfectly angled and smothered it like he was playing gully cricket. 

Then came Trent Boult. Then Jasprit Bumrah. Then absolute carnage.

Against Boult, he was pure timing, square drives, late cuts, check-drives that melted into the turf like poetry. And against Bumrah, he brought out the cheek: a short-arm jab over square leg, a wristy flick and a flat-bat smash down the ground. 

It was a 22-ball half-century, his first in seven long years. He finished with 89 off 40, his highest IPL score. But really, it was more than just a knock. It was a letter to the cricketing world, signed with his bat.

Why The Cricket World Must Finally See Karun For What He Is

Karun Nair’s IPL numbers have always been underwhelming on paper. But they have never told the full story. The starts without the backing. The misfitting roles. The franchises that didn’t quite know what to do with him.

But now, he has returned, not as a promising youngster but as a seasoned player, someone who knows his game inside out. Someone who has travelled through failure, rejection, isolation and still managed to become the most prolific batter in India’s domestic circuit over the past two years.

And yet, he walked into the IPL 2025 season only in DC’s fifth match. A low-cost pick. A name barely mentioned. But what he did with that one chance? Pure gold.

That Triple Century Was Never A Fluke

Let’s not forget the fact that Karun Nair remains just the second Indian to score a Test triple century after Virender Sehwag. But in a cruel twist of fate, he was never allowed to build on that peak. In five Tests, he scored a total of 374 runs, 303 of them in one innings.

Dropped, discarded, and slowly disappeared.

But he never gave up. Never sulked. Never threw in the towel.

He just waited. And now, at 33, he looks more complete than ever before.

India Test Recall? It’s Not Far-Fetched Anymore

With India A set to face England Lions, and a big England Test tour looming, don’t be surprised if Karun Nair’s name enters selection rooms again. He has runs. He has rhythm. And more importantly, he has resolve. The kind you can’t coach.

Karun said it best in the post-match presser:

"I’ve been preparing for this. I’ve always respected the team’s choices. I’ve just stayed ready for my moment. Today it came."

And he made it count.

So now, perhaps it is time for the world to stop treating Karun Nair’s story like a sad postscript. Maybe it is time to see it for what it truly is a comeback for the ages.

The man once begged cricket for one more chance.

Now, cricket better hold onto him tight.

Because Karun Nair is not done. Not by a long shot.

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