Ahead of the first Test against England, India’s Karun Nair opened up about a piece of surprising advice he received from a prominent Indian cricketer back in 2022. In an interview with the Daily Mail, Nair reflected on a difficult period in his career when he hadn’t played any competitive cricket for nearly 14 months and was debarred from all formats by the Karnataka state team.
During that tough phase, he recalled, “I still remember a prominent Indian cricketer calling me and saying you need to retire because the money in these leagues would make me secure. 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,” the 33-year-old said.
Nair was dropped from the Indian team after the penultimate match of the 2018 series in England. Now, after a wait of nearly seven years, he has made a remarkable return to the national squad for the upcoming Test series in England, starting on June 20.
“It’s something that inspires the whole world” – Gambhir on Nair’s comeback
“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,” he insists. “It’s crazy but deep down, I knew I was good enough,” Nair said.
Speaking in a video interview with BCCI.tv, Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir praised Nair’s resilience and hailed his return to the national team as inspirational.
“No matter how many runs you have scored – what matters most is that never-say-die attitude, that never-give-up mindset. That’s what has brought you back into the team. It’s something that inspires the whole world,” Gambhir said.
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