Karun Nair: 10 things you need to know about him

Among all the names mentioned in India’s squad for the limited-overs to Zimbabwe, Karun Nair seemed to be one of those inevitable selections. After knocking on the doors to the Indian team for a while, the talented batsman has finally got his due.

In the absence of some of the high-profile stars in the batting lineup, Nair should get plenty of opportunities to prove his worth to the national set-up and vindicate the faith placed on him by the selectors.

Let us take a look at the ten most important facts about the upcoming cricketer in chronological order.

1) Karun Kaladharan Nair was born on the 6th of December, 1991, in the princely Rajasthan town of Jodhpur with Malayali roots. He gradually built his career from the U-15 Karnataka side to the U-19 Indian team.

2) The right-hander made his senior domestic debut in a List-A match during the 2012 Vijay Hazare Trophy. After spending the next season playing only limited-overs cricket, he eventually broke into the Karnataka Ranji Trophy side.

3) Nair held his own in an establish batting unit with some high-quality knocks in his inaugural season itself. With 494 runs from six matches at an average of 61.75 and three centuries, he was an integral part of the Karnataka team who ended a 15-year wait for the Ranji Trophy.

4) The highlight of that performance was the 24-year old’s temperament. Arriving into the crease at 15/3 in the quarter-final clash against Uttar Pradesh, he smashed a timely ton to rescue his side. Not contented, Nair scored an unbeaten 151 to obtain a crucial first-innings lead in the semi-final against a bowling attack which contained Harbhajan Singh.

5) After an inconspicuous stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore, he was snapped up by Rajasthan Royals for INR 75 Lakhs in the 2014 IPL auction. The free stroking batsman had a productive tournament with 330 runs from 11 matches at a strike-rate of 142.24 which included three fifties.

6) The 2014-15 Ranji Trophy season was a stern test of his consistency and Nair came through with flying colors. Despite managing only a century and a fifty each, he scored over 700 runs at an average of 47.26 on pitches with an extravagant amount of grass as Karnataka retained their title.

7) He had to endure a rather tumultuous time in the 2015 edition of the IPL both on and off the field. A lean run with the bat with only 181 runs from 12 innings also coincided with the Royals being suspended for two years.

8) Undeterred, Nair continued to impress in the subsequent Ranji Trophy with 500 runs from seven games including 2 tons and half-centuries each. However, his side could not make the quarters this time around.

9) Nair’s biggest breakthrough came in the following Irani Trophy when he thwarted a vibrant Mumbai unit with significant scores in both innings. Following a brilliant 94, he joined hands with Faiz Fazal and helped Rest of India chase down a humongous 480. Though Karun was dismissed on a 132-ball 92, the compact batsman had done enough.

10) During the 2016 IPL, Nair ended up as the second highest run-scorer for Delhi Daredevils as they narrowly missed out on a play-off spot. But, he registered three half-centuries all of which resulted in victories and stood out with his composed demeanor.