Karun Nair reveals why he continued to bat despite getting hit on hand in fifth Test against England

Indian batter Karun Nair has revealed why he continued to bat despite getting hit on the hand in the fifth Test match against England at the Kennington Oval. Nair was hit on his bottom hand by a rising delivery but revealed that India’s vice-captain Rishabh Pant had set a high standard when he came out to bat in the first innings of the fourth Test match at Old Trafford, Manchester, despite having a broken toe.

Nair scored a crucial knock of 57 runs in the first innings at the Oval and played a key role in helping India post 224 runs on the board on a difficult pitch. But Nair was dismissed cheaply after scoring 17 runs in the second innings.

“During the series, I think Rishabh has set a very high standard of what we are supposed to be doing as players,” Nair told Revsportz. “In the 4th Test, he went out to bat with a broken foot and scored a fifty. He inspired so many of us in the dressing room and showed the kind of player and person he is by putting the team first. So, it struck me in a way that it did something to me, and thus it became really easy for me to decide what to do for the team.”

Meanwhile, Nair failed to grab his chances in the first three Test matches of the tour, managing only 131 runs at an average of 21.83.

The right-hander was then dropped from the fourth Test match at Old Trafford, Manchester. Nair scored 205 runs in four Test matches he played in the Anderson-Tendulkar series at an average of 25.62. The 33-year-old said head coach Gautam Gambhir backed him during the England tour.

“The only thing in my head was what Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir) had kept telling me earlier, that ‘it doesn’t matter how many runs you score, It’s about the partnerships that you can create, and at the end of the day, those partnerships are going to take us to a win on a tricky wicket’. So, It’s not about individual scores and I was just out there looking to do my best and score as many runs as I can, and more importantly, create those partnerships playing in those difficult periods,” he said.

Nair would aim to bounce back strongly in the domestic season.