Life has come full circle for Karun Nair. The right-handed batter has been smashing records left, right and centre in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, his form instrumental in Vidarbha reaching the semi-final of the premier domestic 50-over tournament.

Karun Nair has battled quite a few hardships over the last few years - who can forget his post in December 2022 when he said, "Dear cricket, give me one more chance?"

The game has listened to Nair's plea, and the 33-year-old is making the most of it. Karun Nair has recorded scores of 112*, 44*, 163*, 111*, 112 and 122 in VHT, and the batter now hopes to continue his form in the semi-final against Maharashtra on Thursday.

"I've not got five 100s in the same tournament ever. So, in terms of results, you can say yes, I'm batting the best that I've ever had. But in terms of process and the way of batting, I think I've been batting the same way for a while now. And just happy to be contributing to the team and winning games for the team," Karun Nair told Hindustan Times.

"I think we've had a really good campaign. Now is the business end of the tournament. So we need to stay sharp and ready for every game. It's one game at a time. We're looking at the next game, and then we'll try and do our best in the next game and then see where we go."

During the 2022-23 season, Karnataka moved on from Karun Nair, as the batter was forced to warm the bench for the most season. Looking back, Nair says his post of "dear cricket" was shared in the "heat of the moment.". He now values every inning he plays, which could well be the reason behind Nair's resurgence.

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"I think it was an emotional moment. It was just probably in the heat of the moment kind of post. I am usually pretty calm and composed most of the time. I keep my emotions together. But you know that moment was pretty, you know what I can say, heartbreaking and disappointing for me at that point. Having played for so many years for Karnataka, not to find a spot in any of the teams. So yeah, it was a very heartbreaking moment."

"But something that I've, you know, tried to put aside and use as inspiration and use as fuel to, you know, help me in any match that I play after that. So it's probably taught me how to value each innings and respect each day as a new day," he added.

Speaking about his mindset during the time when he wasn't getting enough chances to play, Nair said, "I think I never lost any hope. It was just about continuing to do what I did, what I was doing, because I didn't see myself doing anything wrong for not being there. Obviously, I'm not the right person to answer the question of why I was not there. But again, I knew that, you know, if I just kept doing the process that I was doing.

"And then, if given an opportunity in the near future, I had to grab that opportunity. So, I needed to be ready for whatever came my way. Because you know, like I said, those 6-7 months really taught me how to value each day and each innings that I play and respect each day as it comes," he added.

How did the move to Vidarbha come about?

Nair is grateful to former India cricketer and current BCCI General Manager Abey Kuruvilla for coming to his aid and linking him up with Vidarbha. The batter has not looked back since, and the results are for everyone to see.

"I think obviously after not being given the opportunity to play a full First-Class season. After having played for 10-12 years in the First-Class setup and 10 years before that and growing up, I think it was, like I said again, heartbreaking to move away. But I was left with no other choice because you know I wasn't being favoured or being looked at, or at least I saw it that way, that they didn't want me to be there," said Nair.

"So basically, I went to play this DY Patil tournament in Mumbai, which I am really thankful for, for Mansoor Ali Khan sir and Bharat Chipli. I spoke to them about giving me an opportunity to play for Canara Bank. So I went there just because I was sitting at home for 3-4 months. I just wanted to play some cricket. I requested that they let me join their team as a guest player, and then during the tournament, I met Abey Kuruvilla over there, who I had known from the under-19 days when he was a selector," said Nair.

"And I went straight up to him and asked him, 'Sir, can you please find me a team?'. I want to play First-Class cricket. That's how Vidarbha came about," he added.

Throughout his career, Nair has maintained the knack of going big when it counts. He's made full use of it whenever he has gotten among the runs. Not many can go big like Karun Nair, but time and time again, he has shown why he's viewed as one of the stalwarts of the domestic game.

"Situations and circumstances and experiences that I've had of being down and out. And then when you're doing well, I remind myself of those times and, you know, try to make the most of it. Using that as inspiration or, you know, pushing myself to strive for that extra bit in situations and using those experiences. Telling myself that you know I need to make it count now and when the time is right," Nair explained.

Then comes County

Nair has also benefitted from playing for Northamptonshire in the county circuit. Though he only played three matches, representing the county in Division 1 has enriched his game; during his stint with Northamptonshire, the 33-year-old registered scores of 78,150 and 21.

"It was a really wonderful experience. Playing in England is not easy. I played a few games before for India A in 2018, and I did decently well. I scored two 50s in three games for India A. So I really wanted to go back and play county cricket because you hear so much about county cricket every single year. So ever since 2018, I have been trying to play county cricket, but I never got an opportunity," said Karun Nair.

"So when the opportunity came in 2023 just out of the blue, to go and play 3 matches for Northamptonshire. The last three games of the season, and that too against the best 3 teams of the County Championship Division 1. I just took that opportunity with both hands. When I reached there in the first innings itself, I figured out how tough the going was. I just wanted to stay, learn how to play, and experience those conditions. That's what happened, and to score a 100 at the Oval was life coming full circle for me to stand on that balcony. A few years ago, I stood in 2018 and thought, 'What has just happened and then to go back there in 2023 and score a 100 after 5 years standing on the same balcony'. I think the feelings were, you know, overwhelming," he added.

Nair reckons the triple century he got against England in 2016 is the "finest moment of his career" so far. And he still harbours the dream to play for India. Who knows? The next assignment is in England for the five-match series, and Karun Nair might get the nod in the squad.

"Everyone hopes to be part of the Indian cricket team because it's such an amazing setup. Everyone wants to play for their country. And so do I. I have always believed and dreamed of playing for my country again. I will keep doing whatever I can in every match to push for that case. But again, see, only scoring runs is in my hand, and everything else is not in my hand. So all I am looking forward to do is keep scoring in every game that I play," said Nair.

"I can only look back and feel proud about something that I have achieved. To only be one of two people to score a triple hundred for India is not a small thing. India have produced such legends and such great cricketers to whom I always only look up to. And I can only look up to them because they have done such great things, and to be, you know, only one of two people out of them to score a triple hundred is such an amazing feeling."

"Yes, you can say that's the finest moment of my career so far. I would only look to or dream to even better that in the future. That's the only thing that every cricketer looks forward to, how you can better yourself and better your moments every single day," he added.