Nair eyes IPL glory with Kings XI Punjab

Karun Nair, just about three and half years ago, was one of the brightest batting talents in India, having become only the second batsman from the country to post a Test triple ton. Things, however, turned so dramatically for the Karnataka batsman that he has to start all over again now. With an underwhelming domestic season behind him, the right-hander eyes at the delayed IPL in the UAE as first step towards rebooting his India career. Excerpts from an interview with DH.

Karun, obviously, you will be excited to play some competitive cricket after spending so many months in uncertainty, how are you seeing at this prospect of playing some cricket finally?

I think it's very exciting for all of us to finally get going and starting off with such a big tournament, the IPL. I am really excited to get back on the field because it's something that we all love doing and we want to play cricket— that's what we have done all over lives— and doing well for the team.

As you said, for an athlete, when he is fit and not to go and do what he loves the most, how frustrating is it to just sit and wait for the time to come? How did you cope with that?

There are different ways of looking at it. It can be frustrating and also it's a good time to sit back and reflect on the things that you want to work or things that have gone through in the past and see how you can do things differently when you do get the opportunity to start playing the game. It's, as you said, to a certain degree frustrating, but then you have to respect the situation that we all are in and we have to make sure that we respect the conditions that the government has put in place and be as careful as you can.

Because of this lockdown and social distancing norms, you may not have trained as well as you would have hoped for. So in terms of that, how challenging is it going to be while getting into such a big tournament? How do you look to overcome that challenge?

It's in one way challenging for everyone. Everyone is on the same page, I would say. It's about who will be able to come back from this long break better and uses the time that we now get to train. Mostly, I think we will get almost a month's time and how we use this one month to our benefit and how much we can prepare, only time will tell. I am sure everyone would have done their basic fitness work and everything that they were able to do from wherever they were and there will be some sort of basic level of fitness for everyone. It will not take too much time for us to reach the peak condition. I am excited to start playing again and to get back on the field in top condition.

Last IPL you didn't get many opportunities, how do you look at the forthcoming season?

It's been two seasons with Kings XI and the first season was pretty good in terms of personal contributions but obviously we couldn't make the play-offs. In the second season, I didn't get enough opportunities to do what I wanted to though I had more than a decent first season. I don't know what the reasons were, only the captain (R Ashwin) and coach (Mike Hesson) and the team management would know about that. Having said that it's in the past now, and these times have helped me to reflect and understand things what I could have done better so that I could gain the confidence of the coach and captain. And this year, with Rahul being the captain and Anil sir the coach, I am feeling upbeat about doing well and contributing for the team and making sure I am there for whatever role they want me to play.

Talking about Rahul and Anil, you have big Karnataka contingent in the team this time. How comforting is that for you?

From a personal point of view, it's obviously very comforting. First of all, we are from the same State. With Rahul, we both have played our cricket together for all our lives. So, it's really comforting to know that we know each other well; he knows what he can expect from me. As for Anil sir, he was the coach when I made my Test debut. He also knows me really well, he knows what I can contribute to the team. He has already given me so much confidence in letting me know that I would be back. As long as I am contributing to the team, there will be enough opportunities out there.

The domestic season didn't go as well as you would have hoped for, how important is it to put that behind you and perform well at this level?

As I said, these past few months have given me time to reflect, and even on the past season. I started off so well being the highest scorer in the Duleep Trophy and it was just a matter of me taking that form forward which I wasn't able to do for Karnataka. I think it happens with everyone, but it's all about getting that consistency back; making sure that every time I get going, I need to make it big. (In future) Whenever I get an opportunity to score some runs, I am more than willing to put my hand up and make winning contributions to the team, and for myself also to make those big scores on the board.

IPL is another big platform to get selectors' attention, but it can also put unnecessary pressure on a player...

It's important not to look too far ahead, it's important to prepare well now as IPL is still almost a month away. We have a team goal to start off, everyone at Kings XI wants to go to next level and that is to win the trophy. Everyone at Kings XI thinks this is the time for us to win the title. Everyone is really excited to go out there and achieve it. On the personal front, it's about match to match, to see how prepared you are to go out there, give it your best and have fun on the field. These few months would have made all of us realise how much we love this game, how much we want to be playing this game and how much we miss this game. So, it's about stepping out there and having fun out there most importantly.

Deviating from the IPL, you are a Test triple centurion. Did it in anyway affect your thinking process when you didn't get enough opportunities when you deserved them?

There are a lot of thoughts that go into a cricketer's mind when you don't get the opportunities that you are looking for. That said, it's important to put it behind you and focus on what you can control - and what I can control is putting in that effort and score runs. I wouldn't say it affected me negatively, it only made me more determined to work harder. These last couple of years have been the hardest that I ever have worked, it's just about that hard work yielding the rewards. I am sure hard times don't last too long. I am very proud to have that tag (of triple centurion) with me, it will always stay with me. No one can take it away from me.