 "Karun Nair is not giving up on his dream of playing Tests for India again. PTI")
Out-of-favour India batter Karun Nair is not giving up his dream of playing Test cricket for the country again and said that he did not have any expectations of making the Men in Blue’s 15-member squad for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy . Karun, playing for Vidarbha, had taken the Vijay Hazare Trophy by storm recently after he amassed 779 runs from eight innings at a mind-blowing average of 389.50.
He hit five centuries and a fifty and ended up as the tournament’s highest run-getter. In the aftermath of his performance, the 33-year-old was backed by many experts to make the India squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy , but that wasn’t meant to be. The right-handed batter last played a Test for India against Australia in 2017.
“If I’m being honest, before the tournament, I wasn’t thinking about that. At least for me, it felt quite far away. But like I said, you have dreams, you have thoughts, you want to achieve things. But you’re not thinking, “I’m going to make it.” You think, “I want to make it.” But whether it will actually happen is always a question mark in your head,” Karun was quoted as saying by Sports Today.
‘Still have dream of playing Test cricket for India’: Karun
Karun’s highest score in Tests came against England when he scored an unbeaten 303 in 2016. “I still have the dream of playing Test cricket for India. I’ve said it in many interviews. So quite honestly, that was the only thing on my mind. I wasn’t even thinking that I’d be mentioned or considered for the Champions Trophy squad, so I feel really grateful for that,” he added.
Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar was all praise for Karun after his exploits in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. While Karun is grateful for the words he has received, he knows he still has work to do.
“It was one of the greatest feelings ever to receive appreciation from your childhood hero. It was an amazing moment. I am really thankful to him for taking the time to put out that message. I feel truly blessed to have received those kind words from him. But again, I need to keep performing. Every game and every innings counts, so that remains my focus,” he said.
Karun has played six Tests and two ODIs for India till date, having scored 374 and 46 runs in both formats respectively.