Karun Nair's closest companion in the last few days has been his PlayStation and the digital movie streaming platforms. The Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) cricketer is currently in UAE with his team and so have been the other Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises, their players and support staff.
The 13th edition of the T20 league will be played in the Middle East country from 19 September after initially being suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. Stringent health protocols have been put in to place by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to create a secure bio-bubble for the safe conduct of the tournament. All the players and support staff were required to undergo multiple COVID-19 tests and a mandatory six-day quarantine in UAE before entering the bio-bubble. The standard operating procedures (SOPs) mandate the players to maintain social distancing even after the quarantine is over, usage of masks and dining alone in the room.
The restrictions of the bio-bubble could become a challenge at times. The players are not allowed to leave the bio-secure environment and there's very little mingling that can happen within the teammates, but all of that is not a problem for Nair. The Karnataka batsman is well aware of the importance of the arrangements and is only looking forward to the start of the league. Playing Player Unknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), FIFA video game, watching movies on Netflix or Amazon Prime is how he is keeping himself occupied. KXIP also began their training sessions on 28 August.
Karun Nair bats during a KXIP training session in Dubai. Image: Twitter/@karun126
"The first six days of quarantine was not easy, to stay on your own, but after the six days, we all are in great spirits. We have got a great hotel in Dubai, the team management has organised a lot of fun activities. We have been very lucky to be given this opportunity to play the game we love so much after so long, so we need to follow the rules so that tournament runs successfully," Nair tells Firstpost from Dubai where KXIP are currently based.
The upcoming IPL would mark the return of Indian cricket after a break of over six months. The last professional cricket activity was India's ODI series South Africa which was cancelled midway in March due to the pandemic. Nair last played competitive cricket in early March in the semi-final of the Ranji Trophy against Bengal.
Even though the forced break has continued for months now, the 28-year-old cricketer likened the halt to an extended off-season. Now that the training has begun, Nair feels the focus of players would be on sharpening their skills and is confident of being match-ready when the tournament starts.
"No one has played matches or had too much practice, so coming into this tournament we are going to be a little rusty but there’s a month to prepare ourselves and in this month it’s about preparing as well as we can. We are going to have a few practice games as well so we should be well prepared when the tournament starts," says Nair.
"We all have been working on our fitness in these last few months, now it is mainly about working on our skills and trying to improve it, become better players. Everybody would be looking to do that and everybody would be looking to get sharp in their skills. It’s more like an off-season training, so not like something different in this case, it’s just that the time span has been a bit longer."
Within the larger story of IPL being played amid the pandemic, there are many other subplots and one of them is Nair's. The Jodhpur-born cricketer made his first-class debut in the 2013-14 season and the six seasons since then have been quite a roller-coaster ride for him. The highest point of the ride came in 2016 when he smashed an unbeaten 303 against England in Chennai Test to become the second India to register a triple hundred in Tests. It was his third Test appearance and he would go on to add just three more matches to his tally before being dropped from the side in 2018, a selection call that surprised most.
His domestic performance since 2018 has been a mixed bag though with runs coming at an average of 24.58 in 24 Ranji Trophy innings in the last two seasons. He has had decent outings in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and was the highest run-getter in Duleep Trophy last year as he scored 375 runs in three matches. But it's in the IPL where he has witnessed the opportunities evaporating for himself. Nair featured in 13 games on an average in IPL from 2014 to 2018 but could find a place in playing XI only once last season for KXIP as David Miller, Sarfaraz Khan, Nicholas Pooran and Mandeep Singh were preferred over him.
Karun Nair featured in only one IPL game last season. Image: Twitter/@karun126
The competition for places in KXIP's middle-order is only expected to intensify further this season. Nair would find himself against Glenn Maxwell, Sarfaraz, Mandeep, Pooran, James Neesham and Deepak Hooda competing for places in the middle-order with Chris Gayle, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal expected to hold the top three spots.
Nair, however, is not worried about the uncontrollables. He sees himself as a team man and his motto would be to focus on one game at a time.
"It’s a new season for everyone, so it’s about starting from scratch and there’s no personal target as such. Winning games for the team is a personal target that I have set and making use of all the opportunities that I get. There are no numbers in my head because it’s important to take (it) game by game," says Nair.
Nair would also have his statemate Anil Kumble at KXIP this season as coach. The legendary Indian cricketer was also the coach when Nair made his Test debut. One would hope Kumble is able to get the best out of Nair having closely seen him play at the domestic and international level.
"It’s a positive feeling when Anil sir is the coach. I was given my India debut by him, so really looking forward to the season and the opportunities that we would be given. Am looking to make sure that I make use of those opportunities to the best of my ability," says the cricketer.
An excellent IPL generally tends to put you straight into the good books of the national selectors. The most popular T20 league in the world has often paved the way for a national call-up or comeback for many. Nair admits that those thoughts are unavoidable and stay in the "back of the head" of every potential candidate going into such a big competition but he is clear that he is not going to put too much unnecessary pressure on himself and will stick to his motto.
"IPL is such a big tournament. First of all, we should be glad and happy that we are getting the opportunity to play cricket after so long. Yes, it’s a big platform but I am not overly focussing on it just being a big platform and that I am putting pressure on myself to do really well, it’s about taking it game by game. As I said, my target is to win games for the team and hopefully, we will go far in the tournament," Nair says.
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