Back into the Indian Premier League after a 2-year hiatus, Karun Nair marked his return to the T20 league with a superb knock for Delhi Capitals, but despite being away from the league for two seasons, he always knew what to expect from the opposition in terms of quality having been there and done that earlier too. Grabbing his first opportunity of the season with both hands, Karun hit a superb 40-ball 89 while chasing a target of 206, but it went in vain as DC ended on 193 in 19 overs to go down by 12 runs to Mumbai Indians. Not many batters have hit Jasprit Bumrah for two sixes in an over, and Karun underlined his preparation as a key to success, having gained enough confidence during the domestic season in which he aggregated 1870 runs for Vidarbha across formats.
When asked to speak about his performance, Nair gave a brilliant response, saying there's 'no value' in speaking about it as the team lost.
"See, there's no benefits in talking about that. I did play well, but my team lost the match, so it really doesn't matter. There's no value for me of such innings if my team can't win," Karun said in the press conference.
"Honestly, I had the confidence that I've played [IPL] before and I know how it's going to be, and it's nothing different that I'm going to be facing anything new," said Nair, Nair, a Test-match triple-centurion, told reporters.
"So, but in my mind, it was just about going out there and giving myself a few balls and just getting used to the speed of the game again and the atmosphere," said Nair, who last played in the 2022 season for Rajasthan Royals.
He also spoke about hitting conventional shots during Powerplay and then going for improvisation during the latter part of the innings.
"So I just told myself, 'give yourself the time, play normal shots and then, you know, improvise when needed'. Fortunately, everything came off, and I'm happy that I batted well. But again, I would have loved that if the team had gone on to win." He didn't play in first four games but knew that sooner or later his chance would come and he would have to be ready.
"Look, obviously, we lost an important player in Faf, and we always knew - the few of us batters who are sitting outside who should be and have to be ready at any given time. So, mentally, I was ready, and obviously looking forward to the chance, whenever it came," "I felt confident. I felt like, I'm well prepared to play in the IPL if given the opportunity. So it was all about me preparing the way that I've been all through the season and waiting for my chance. So I was doing my bit to prepare and be ready for the game.
"It's always a tough call for the team to pick 11 or 12 players, and I've always respected that. For me, it was about preparing and keeping the same process that I followed, which has worked for me, and just being ready to go out there and perform for the team."
With PTI Inputs