“’I don’t know what to do, sir. Let’s please discuss and do something…’”
Coach Vijayakumar Madyalkar vividly remembers the sombre evening when his former Karnataka U-25 ward had checked into his academy with a desperate plea to revive his career. India’s second Test triple-centurion, Karun Nair, suddenly had nowhere to go after Karnataka – his domestic abode throughout his formative years – had landed a stunning snub after the 2022 season in June.
An emotional tweet in the winter of 2022 wouldn’t have been enough to tether the widening gulf between him and ‘Dear Cricket.’ Picking himself up, one watchful step at a time, Nair plotted his deeply personal attempt to fight back from the wilderness with Madyalkar and a WhatsApp group.
On Saturday, the purpose of Nair’s ‘Comeback Season’ group with his trainer, Sai Prasanna and his assistant was fulfilled after two whole years of sweat, tears and a grind in silence. An improbable Test return, a first in seven years, was made possible over the course of an epochal domestic season across formats. A transitioning Team India is now bidding to lean in on Nair’s wiser profile for a new era under Shubman Gill in another World Test Championship cycle.