Vidarbha star Karun Nair has revealed that he had offered himself to play for Kerala in state cricket after deciding to leave Karnataka but the discussions didn’t materialize.
The international batter said he wasn’t in a position to wait and as Vidarbha came in with an offer, he chose to proceed with it.
Karun Nair was born in Rajasthan but his parents Kaladharan Nair and Prema hail from Kerala. The family moved to Bengaluru due to his father’s job and has stayed there.
The 30-year-old started his career in Karnataka and spent almost a decade with the Karnataka State Cricket Association. In August 2023, after being dropped from the state team across formats, he chose to move and found a new home in Vidarbha.
“There were discussions about it. When I was sure I was going to leave Karnataka, I was looking at my options,” said Nair.
“There was some talk about it, but it didn’t go forward. I had offered myself to KCA, but it didn’t go forward. At the same time, I got the offer from Vidarbha.”
“I wasn’t in a situation to wait, as I wasn’t in the best spot. I wanted to clear my mind and that was only possible by joining a team. So I joined Vidarbha,” he added.
Kerala and Vidarbha are playing the ongoing 2025 Ranji Trophy final at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium.
Karun Nair scored 86 runs off 188 deliveries in the first innings and missed out on a century due to a run-out.
Vidarbha scored 379 runs in their first innings. Kerala captain Sachin Baby’s 98 runs led the visitors close to the target and got out with the score at 324/7.
Karun Nair played a pivotal role in Vidarbha’s consistent performances across formats. Before the Ranji Trophy, they also ended runners-up in Vijay Hazare Trophy, losing to another team with a Nair connection.
The right handed middle order batter didn’t rule out the possibility of moving to Kerala in the further either.
“You don’t know. If a situation like that comes up, we will see,” he said. His form has made a late contender for a spot in the Indian Champions Trophy squad. He was one of the player to miss out the Champions Trophy.
His standout performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy this year, where he scored 779 runs in 8 matches at an impressive average of 389.50.
