IPL 10: Karun Nair backs Virat Kohli to bag Orange Cap this year

Indian batsman Karun Nair is all excited for the 2017 edition of the IPL. He is with the Delhi Daredevils squad and is looking forward to the season. The hard-hitting batsman, who has a Test triple century to his name, has backed Indian captain Virat Kohli to win the Orange Cap this year as well. In a recent conversation with Mark Butcher for the Sky Sports, Nair was fired in some rapid fire questions about his teammates Delhi Daredevils.

Karun Nair was honest enough to answer them hilariously. When asked about who he thinks would take the Orange Cap – the award for the leading run scorer this year – Nair opined that he wishes to be the one. However, if he has to pick another player, it would definitely be Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli. Kohli had won the Orange Cap in IPL 2016 after having scored 973 runs.

He was then asked to name the worst roommate in the team. The Karnataka youngster named Rishabh Pant to be the worst roomie. Talking about the worst dressed player in the team, the name of young Khaleel Ahmed sprung up. Nair said there is no reason behind that but the plain fact that he is the worst dressed. Pant found a mention in another answer when Nair named him to be the one always late for the team bus.

The Delhi Daredevils camp boasts of some serious pace bowlers. The likes of Kagiso Rabada, Chris Morris, Mohammad Shami, Pat Cummins and Zaheer Khan are the most prominent ones on the roster this year. When asked about the pacer who is the most difficult to face in the nets, Nair named South African speedster to be the most fierce. The IPL is a tournament that has players from all around the world coming under one umbrella. Several international stars have made the tournament bigger and better with their exploits.

When asked about one player who Karun Nair would like to see in his team, a very quick Nair chipped in with AB de Villiers’ name. Certainly, all teams want the big man. He noted Carlos Brathwaite, the big burly West Indian to be the one who hits the longest sixes in the team. Asked about the one with the best arm in the team, a very modest Karun took his own name. 

He talked about the team combination as well and remarked that they have a very settled side. He quoted, “We have a good mixture of experience and younger players; the only way young players are going to gain experience is by playing in these situations. It’s just a matter of time before we all come together and play as a unit and I think when we do, you’ll see a really exciting brand of cricket.”

Reflecting back at the time when he was dropped from the team soon after registering his triple hundred in the match, he quoted that he expected it to happen. He did not let that bog him down one bit. He pointed out, “I knew it was coming so I wasn’t disappointed. The only reason I played was because Ajinkya Rahane was injured. I took it in my stride and just kept working harder.”