Karun Nair has made a comeback to the Indian Test team after seven long years. Returning after such a long gap is never easy, but Nair has managed to achieve it. However, during his time away from the national setup, he received some unexpected advice — a senior Indian cricketer suggested that he should retire and focus on playing T20 leagues to earn money.
After playing his last international match in 2018, Nair was also dropped from the Karnataka domestic team after the 2022 season. For 14 months, he didn’t play any competitive cricket. Things started to turn around when he received a contract to play county cricket for Northamptonshire, helping him get his career back on track.
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Speaking ahead of India’s five-match Test series against England starting on June 20, Nair revealed that one prominent Indian player had called him and advised retirement, suggesting he could make a good living through franchise leagues. But Nair stayed determined to return to the Indian side.
In an interview with Daily Mail, Karun Nair said, “I still remember, a senior Indian cricketer called me and said I should retire, because the money I’d earn from these leagues would give me financial security. That would have been the easier route. But deep down, I knew I’d regret retiring just for the money. I didn’t want to give up on playing for India again. This was just two years ago, and now look where we are. It’s crazy, but inside, I always believed I was good enough.”
