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ENG vs IND: Karun Nair defies retirement advice from 'prominent Indian cricketer' to script India comeback

Asianetnews | June 16, 2025 8:39 PM CST

Indian veteran batter received an recall for the upcoming Test series against . Nair was out of the selectors' radar for eight years until his domestic performance caught the attention of the national selectors, earning him a recall to the Test side for the Test tour of England, with the first match of the series starting on June 20 at Headingley.

With the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, India's squad was left vacant with senior with vacant senior spots in the batting lineup, opening the door for experienced campaigners like Karun Nair to make a comeback.

With inclusion in the Test squad, Karun Nair, the second Indian batter to score a Test triple century in 2016, will look to continue his redemption by cementing his place in India’s Test line-up and contributing significantly to India’s campaign against England. However, not long ago, Karun Nair was suggested to retire from international cricket before he earned an India recall.

Retire and play T20 leagues

As Team India gears up for the first Test at Headingley, Karun Nair revealed he was advised by a ‘prominent Indian cricketer’ to retire from international cricket and focus on T20 leagues, given the money and opportunities they offer.

“I still remember a prominent Indian cricketer calling me and saying I should retire because the money in these leagues would make me secure,” Nair told the Daily Mail UK.

“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,” he added.

Karun Nair had a brilliant domestic cricket season. Representing Vidarbha after switching from home state team, Karnataka, ahead of the 2024/25 season, the 34-year-old witnessed his career revival. Nair played a crucial role in Vidarbha’s Ranji Triumph by defeating Kerala in the final, while amassing 863 runs, including 4 centuries and 2 fifties, at an average of 53.93 in nine matches. He also scored a century in the final to give Vidarbha a first-innings lead, which proved decisive in their title-winning campaign

Karun Nair’s performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy created a huge buzz on social media, as he aggregated 779 runs, including five centuries and a fifty, at an astonishing average of 389.50 in 9 matches.

Karun Nair ignores retirement advice

Karun Nair stated he was in no way willing to give up on his comeback to Team India despite the advice from a prominent Indian cricketer.

“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. It’s crazy, but deep down, I knew I was good enough,” he added.

Karun Nair’s experience of playing in the County Championship, where he was playing for Northamptonshire, also played a role in earning a recall to the national side for the five-match Test series. Karun Nair scored 736 runs at an average of 56.61 across two seasons. Last season, Nair was quite impressive as he amassed 487 runs, including a double century against Glamorgan, at an average of 48 in 11 innings.

Ahead of the Test series against England, Karun Nair showed signs of his rhythm and adaptability to English conditions in India A’s two unofficial Tests against England Lions, amassing 259 runs, including a century, at an average of 86.33 in three innings. He scored a double century in the first match and scored 40 and 15 in the second game of the India A tour of England.