India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Karun Nair: 'Comebacks are never easy'
India head coach Gautam Gambhir welcomed Karun Nair back into the Test fold with heartfelt praise, highlighting the batter's resilience and hunger. 'Comebacks are never easy,' Gambhir said in a video released by BCCI.tv. 'The amount of runs he got, the never-give-up attitude—it's inspiring for the entire team. Welcome back, Karun Nair.'
Nair last played a Test in 2017, months after becoming only the second Indian to score a triple century in the format. Since then, his career faced setbacks, including being dropped by Karnataka. But the right-hand middle-order batter revived his journey by moving to Vidarbha as a professional ahead of the 2023-24 season. He ended the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 as the fourth-highest run-getter, with 863 runs in 16 innings, including four centuries.
Nair gave a glimpse of his barnstorming form with a double ton against England Lions in the first warm-up match. He was the top-scoring batter for India A in the two warm-ups combined, with 259 runs.
Nair has impressed in England earlier as well, representing Northamptonshire in Division 1 of the County Championship, where overall he averaged 56.61 across 14 innings with two hundreds, including an unbeaten 202.
Gambhir's backing comes ahead of India's five-Test series against England, which marks the beginning of the 2025–27 World Test Championship cycle.
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