Advised to retire, hope of playing for India again kept Karun Nair going through the lows: 'Look where we are now'

Karun Nair is back in the Indian fold after a seven-year absence from the Test arena. His return marks a journey that was anything but easy. But Nair endured, even when a “prominent Indian cricketer” advised him to retire and secure his financial career with franchise leagues.

Dropped after the final Test of India’s 2018 tour of England, Nair spent years battling silence and setbacks, including being overlooked by his state team Karnataka following the 2022 domestic season.

When Karun Nair was asked to retire

The lack of opportunities stretched for nearly 14 months, during which he had no competitive cricket to his name. With his career at a standstill, Nair eventually found a lifeline in the form of a County Championship stint with Northamptonshire. But before that door opened, he received unexpected advice from a senior figure in Indian cricket.

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“I still remember a prominent Indian cricketer calling me and saying you need to retire because the money in these leagues would make me secure,” Nair told the Daily Mail. “It would have been easy to do, but I knew that regardless of the money, I would be kicking myself for giving up that easily.”

The suggestion to walk away and focus on franchise cricket may have tempted others, but for Nair, international cricket remained unfinished business.

“I was never going to give up on playing for India again. That was just over two years ago and look where we are now,” he said. “It’s crazy but deep down, I knew I was good enough.”

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How Karun Nair launched his comeback

That belief has begun to bear fruit. Nair’s resurgence was underlined by a commanding double century for India A against the England Lions in Canterbury—his fifth First-Class hundred in 2025. Earlier this year, he was a cornerstone of Vidarbha’s march to the Ranji Trophy title, scoring three centuries in the knockout stages alone.

His form hasn’t gone unnoticed. India head coach Gautam Gambhir praised Nair’s spirit and determination in a video shared by BCCI ahead of the team’s series opener in Headingley on Friday.

“No matter how many runs you have scored – what matters most is that never-say-die attitude, that never-give-up mindset. That’s what has brought you back into the team. It’s something that inspires the whole world,” Gambhir said.

Having played six Tests between 2016 and 2017, Nair has 374 runs to his name in the format—including a monumental 303 not out against England in Chennai. Now, nearly a decade after that iconic knock, the 33-year-old finds himself on the cusp of another chapter, fueled not just by numbers, but by the resilience that kept him going when many thought he was finished.