It has been over a year since he last represented Karnataka, and over seven years since he last played for India, but Karun Nair was still an instant hit among fans who turned up to watch the Maharaja T20 Trophy opener in Bengaluru.
Nair was leading Mysuru Warriors as they aim to go one step further, after being pipped by eight runs in last year's final by the Manish Pandey-led Hubli Tigers. Nair had been integral to their 2023 campaign, scoring a chart-topping 532 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 162.69.
This season is vital for Nair from a personal standpoint. He hasn't been an IPL regular for the last six seasons but believes he has plenty to offer. After nearly a year of sitting out at Karnataka, he moved to Vidarbha ahead of the 2023-24 season for more game time. While he will be playing for Vidarbha this year too, his immediate focus is to help Warriors win the trophy.
"They say a player peaks at 30-31, I would like to believe that's true in my case," Nair, 32, told ESPNcricinfo. "The last one year has been good. After last year's Maharaja T20, I had a pretty good domestic season."
Nair was not exaggerating when he said his season was "pretty good". He scored 690 runs during Vidarbha's run to the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy final, where they were beaten by Mumbai. There were spurts of brilliance in the T20s too, like his unbeaten 52-ball 95 that helped pull off Vidarbha's highest-successful chase ever in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, against Bengal. He struck a hundred and a fifty in the Vijay Hazare Trophy too, even though his overall tournament numbers were only par: 230 runs in seven innings at 46.00.
"If you told me at the start of last season that I would score these many runs, I would have taken that," Nair said. "I had been at home for a year, staved off opportunities, and when nothing worked out, I asked myself what I could do. So when I got the chance, it felt good to be able to contribute again. The tough years have helped me push myself that much more. For me, the most important game is the one I am playing now. Be it a league game or a domestic game, I have learnt not to look far ahead."
Nair's rich run of domestic form culminated in another special surprise when he was called back by Northamptonshire for seven championship games in April-May this year. Not part of the IPL, Nair spent the early part of the summer in conditions he described as "the coldest ever" he has played in. Nair hit 487 runs in 11 innings, including a best of 202 not out.
"I couldn't even feel the bat, because as it is we were playing with so many layers," Nair said. "It was tough, but pushing myself through those tough conditions and grinding it out gave me a lot of satisfaction. There's nothing more confidence-boosting than scoring runs on those pitches early in the summer when the ball does all sorts of things.
"I wanted to prove to myself that last year wasn't a one-off [when he scored 249 runs in three innings]. My main focus was to score as many runs as I could, even if the conditions were hard. I wanted to do full justice to my time there and gain as much experience as I could scoring runs in England."
Since his return, Nair has been working his way back to full batting rhythm after a short break. He hasn't been picked for the Duleep Trophy but is focusing on ensuring he trusts the methods that brought him back among the runs.
"I feel like I'm batting as well as I've ever done. I am in a good head space, I know where my game is. I am just making sure if I get opportunities, wherever it may be, the focus is on making the most of those chances so that I can climb up the stairs again. It's still exciting to wake up each morning and dream of finding a way back to play Test cricket. That keeps me going. I would love to win trophies; we missed out in the Ranji last year. I will try to correct it this year."