Karun Nair clarifies that captaincy has never affected his game

Triple centurion Karun Nair and the more recent Karun Nair bear almost no similarities in their run-scoring abilities or their confidence at the crease. However, the Karnataka batsman will look to put the misery behind as he leads an India A team during their trip to South Africa.

Nair is all set to captain India A for two four-day games against South Africa A. The tour will also include a tri-series involving Australia A. His Karnataka teammate Manish Pandey, who had to give the Champions Trophy a miss due to injury, will take over the reins for the limited-overs series.

Since the senior India men’s team is scheduled to tour South Africa at the end of this year, the upcoming series will be crucial for Nair. Despite his heroics against England in Chennai earlier this year, the 25-year-old has failed to hold on to his spot in the Indian Test team. However, he is up for the challenge in South Africa.

“Any game is an important one. That’s how I approach. I’m looking forward to beginning the season with an overseas experience. It is my first tour of SA. So, in that sense the conditions will be challenging and that’s something I’m eager to take on,” Karun told TOI.

As far as captaincy is concerned, it will be his first stint at the helm for India A. That being said, it will not be his first experience as captain since Nair has been the stand-in skipper for the Karnataka side as well as the Delhi Daredevils.

Has done well as captain in the past 

“Captaincy has never affected my batting because when I go out to bat I move into my own space and also, the mindset does that change. Having said that, it is an additional responsibility and I have done well as a captain in the past,” he said.

“It is about managing emotions and being mentally neutral. When I hit a low, I’m happy my mind is stable. Good or bad times don’t last forever. You just have to take them in your stride and look at making the most of the next opportunity,” Karun added.

Runs have been hard to come by for the right-hander ever since he took England by storm at Chepauk. The IPL wasn’t as lucrative as he’d have expected it to be. Of the 281 runs which he scored in 14 games of the IPL this year, 217 were scored in 13 matches.

Nair is likely to miss out on India’s tour to Sri Lanka in July as the South Africa series will be underway. However, the youngster isn’t preoccupied with the selection process and is simply looking to focus on his game. “I think it is early to say I’m not being considered. Also, I don’t think too much about selection processes. I just believe in going out there and allowing my performance to speak for me,” he concluded.