Why Karun Nair joined Vidarbha after leaving Karnataka despite offering to play for Kerala

Karun Nair is currently enjoying a resurgence in his career, thanks to his exceptional form for Vidarbha since joining the team from Karnataka in 2023. As the Ranji Trophy final between Vidarbha and Kerala continues, Nair reflected on how his fortunes could have been different, as he narrowly missed the opportunity to represent Kerala instead.

Speaking to Malayalam news channel 24, Nair explained what the situation was when he was looking for a switch. "There were discussions about it. When I was sure I was going to leave Karnataka, I was looking at my options. There was some talk about it, but it didn't go forward."

"I had offered myself to KCA, but it didn't go forward,” explained Karun. “At the same time, I got the offer from Vidarbha. I wasn't in a situation to wait, as I wasn't in a best spot. I wanted to clear my mind and that was only possible by joining a team. So I joined Vidarbha.”

Karun, who has famously struck a triple century for India in Test cricket, has gone on to gain the captaincy of the Vidarbha team, and has been in particularly strong form in recent months, which even saw him as an outside consideration for India's ICC Champions Trophy squad due to his incredible performances in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy earlier this year.

Vidarbha reached the finals of the tournament, thanks in large part to Karun’s incredible campaign which saw him score 779 runs in 8 matches, including five centuries and a whopping average of 389.5. However, the trophy wouldn’t come for Karun, as his Vidarbha team lost by just 36 runs to his former team Karnataka in the finals.

Vidarbha hunting third Ranji title

theless, Karun has continued his strong form since the return of the Ranji Trophy, scoring a century against Hyderabad in the group stage before adding another against Tamil Nadu in the quarterfinals. He has helped take Vidarbha to another Ranji final, as they look for their third Ranji title in seven seasons.

Vidarbha took a 37-run lead over Kerala in the final, putting themselves in a strong position with two days of play left. Karun contributed with a score of 86 in the first innings, only dismissed via a run out. Kerala might be wondering how different things could have been if they had acted faster during Karun’s pursuit of a switch.

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