11 Facts about Karun Nair: Batting flair personified

Karun Nair burst onto the scene as a technically sound batsman for Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy. He was a prominent part of the Karnataka side that smashed records to lift multiple trophies in the two glorious years. More importantly, Nair was part of the new wave of young players inducted into the Karnataka domestic side, taking over from the likes of Yere Goud, Sunil Joshi, Rahul Dravid, and Javagal Srinath. Upon his inclusion in the Indian side for the upcoming series in Zimbabwe, here are some compelling facts about Karun Nair.

1. Birth:

Karun Kaladharan Nair was born on the 6th of December 1991 at Jodhpur, Rajasthan.

2. Early life & cricketing career:

Karun Nair was educated in Frank Anthony Public School, a place where he began plying his cricket. He also took part in the premier cricket tournament, the Cottonian Shield. He then went on to Mahaveer Jain College in order to pursue cricket as a full-time career.

3. Major teams played for:

A few of the major teams Karun Nair has played for are: Delhi Daredevils, India A, India Under-19s, Karnataka, Karnataka State Cricket Association Colts XI, Karnataka State Cricket Association XI, Karnataka Under-15s, Karnataka Under-19s, Mangalore United, Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, South Zone.

Also read – First time Indian players on the tour to Zimbabwe

4. A U19 player at 15:

Such was Karun’s talent that he began playing U19 cricket for the state at the age of just 15. His prolific career saw him drafted into the state squad for the Ranji Trophy in his early 20s.

5. Consistency:

While he has the technique, consistency is perhaps the biggest and brightest asset Karun Nair has to boast about. It is perhaps his consistency that has seen him grow into the role of innings anchor and has seen him selected for the India squad as well.

6. Stint with India A:

He was picked by the selectors to represent India A in the unofficial series against Bangladesh at his home ground in Bengaluru. This allowed him to work with Rahul Dravid, a man who has had a genuine impact on his game.

7. IPL debut with Rajasthan Royals:

Nair was picked up by the Rajasthan Royals in his first ever appearance in the IPL auction. He cashed in his third match, he scored 73 not out facing 50 deliveries and took Rajasthan to a victory against Delhi Daredevils, the team he would play for in the future.

8. Growth with Delhi Daredevils:

Having been bought for almost 40 times his base price, Karun made it big with the Delhi Daredevils. His scintillating performances with the bat was perhaps too good for the national selectors to ignore. He has over 200 runs in this edition of the IPL for his side.

9. Half-century against Sunrisers Hyderabad:

On the 20th of May 2016, the Daredevils faced up to the might of the Sunrisers Hyderabad at Raipur. With a win desperately required to keep them in the fight for the playoffs, Karun Nair slammed an audacious and unbeaten 83 and single-handedly propelled the Delhi Daredevils to an impressive last-ball victory.

10. A replacement for M Vijay:

Consistent performances for Karnataka and India A earned him an India call-up in 2015 when he joined the Test squad in Sri Lanka as a replacement to M Vijay – though he did not debut.

11. Triple century in 2015 Ranji Trophy final:

In the 2014-15 edition of the Ranji Trophy final, Karun Nair was once again the star of the show as he smashed his first ever triple century in professional cricket. He slammed 328 off 560 deliveries as his side cruised to an innings win over Tamil Nadu.