England vs India: Karun Nair's long road back to Test cricket

After months of grinding, Nair was keen to get back on the field but there was no cricket to play in India, so he decided to sign as an overseas player for Northamptonshire in England, a decision that proved pivotal.

"Overseas players who come here with a point to prove, we usually get the best out of them," says Sadler, who worked closely with him at Northants. "Karun had scored a Test triple hundred for India but hadn't played in a while. He was hungry and determined to make an impact."

Known for his calm nature, Nair instantly took up the role he was assigned by Northants.

"The thing that stood out was how calm and composed he was," Sadler recalls. "In his first game at Edgbaston, the pitch was green, it was seaming, swinging and nipping.

"Some of our batsmen were finding it tough out there, wickets were falling. He came in and he played unbelievably calm. He left the ball incredibly well. And then, when it was time to attack, he attacked. So his game just looked in fantastic order."

The right-handed batter scored 249 runs in three matches, including a commanding 150 against Surrey, prompting Northamptonshire to sign him again for the subsequent year.

In 2024, he stepped up again, scoring 487 runs in seven matches, including a double century. But it wasn't just the runs that stood out.

"His attitude was magnificent. He worked so hard and was very professional. He was there for every training session, and when it came to batting in a match, he was just so focused and never gave his wicket away," says Sadler, now assistant coach at Yorkshire.

Though Nair had piled on runs in domestic cricket back home as well, his stint with Northants helped put him firmly back in the national reckoning.

"County cricket is relentless, game after game, not much rest. You play on a real variant of pitches," says Sadler. "Sometimes it might be flat, sometimes it might turn, sometimes it might be green, and it might be overcast.

"With two stints that he did for us, I think he got to play and put his skills under pressure for all those different conditions. It really helped him."

Even India's head coach Gautam Gambhir acknowledged the role county cricket played in Nair's return.

"It's always good to have the experience of Karun. He played county cricket there, and he is in superb form. His experience will come in handy," Gambhir said during India's pre-tour news conference in Mumbai on 5 June.

With a 204-run knock against the England Lions in Canterbury earlier this month, Nair is expected to slot into India's middle order for the first Test at Headingley.

His coach, for one, is confident.

"I think Karun will definitely play the first match because he is more experienced in playing there," Madyalkar says. "He will score a hundred."

You heard it here first.

Click here to read article