Will Karun Nair Play 5th Test vs England ? A Look Back At His Comeback Story

An old tweet from 33-year-old Nair, who is only the second batter to score a triple ton in a test match for India after Virender Sehwag, went viral as soon as he was picked for the England tour that reads, "Cricket, please give me another chance."

The right handed batter was given a chance despite failure in the first two tests in the third match at the iconic Lord's stadium but he was reserved to the dressing room for the ongoing Test against England in Old Trafford.

Of the six innings he played in his comeback series, Karun tallied a meagre 131 runs with an average of 21.83 and a best score of 40.

On the other hand, young batter Sai Sudharsan replacing Nair in the fourth test impressed with a skillful 61 in the first innings.

Many experts and cricket enthusiasts called it time for Nair, who impressed with grit and passion making his case for a comeback. However, after the end of Day 4 of the fourth Test, team India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak clarified that the team management would back Karun Nair and the decision to not play him in Manchester was the pressure that was building on him.

In 2016, Karun scored his unbeaten 303 against England in Chennai

Played his last international test match against Australia in Dharamsala in 2017

He played for his home side Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy but struggled with consistency. His irregular good knocks failed to secure him a berth in the India squad.

He made his popular social media post during this time -- A tweet that became a statement of perseverance, which reads "Cricket, Please give me another chance."

Karun Nair then decided to take a bold step as he switched from Karnataka to Vidarbha for the domestic season.

Grabbing eyeballs of the selectors and cricket lovers, he amassed 690 runs in 10 matches.

He then took on the English soil, playing with the Dukes, Karun scored 487 runs in seven games that includes an unbeaten double hundred.

Karun Nair was at his very best during this season scoring 863 runs at an average of 54.

He even scored a sublime century in the finals to help Vidarbha lift their third Ranji Trophy title.

After a gap of three years, Karun Nair made his comeback to IPL representing Delhi Capitals, he played a dominating innings against Mumbai Indians to score crucial 83 runs.

Made it to India A squad for England tour, where he scored a double ton.

From a comeback story that inspired a generation to reducing into tears after repeated poor performances that made him lose the spot in the XI, Karun Nair once again is back to please and wait for a chance to prove his real talent. Karun was seen in tears after his poor performance in the third test at Lord's. A viral picture of Nair visibly in tears talking to long-time friend KL Rahul was making rounds online.

Once he is back from England, Karun would join his home state for the Ranji season, after playing the last two seasons from Vidarbha, Nair's return to Karnataka was confirmed after a No Objection from Vidarbha board.