Ranji Trophy-winning Vidarbha’s assistant coach Atul Ranade has revealed exactly what Karun Nair did over the last two years that helped him get noticed by national chief selector Ajit Agarkar’s selection committee ahead of the England tour. Nair, 33, is likely to make a comeback in India’s Test playing XI after a gap of eight years, in the five-Test series against England, starting at Leeds today. 
 
Ranade, 52, credited Nair’s self-belief and never-say-die attitude for his strong domestic performances.

“He [Nair] used to be very prompt and serious about his cricketing activities. If our practice started at 3 pm, he would be at the ground by 2 pm and finish his running by doing seven to eight rounds. He mixed easily with all the Vidarbha players and never behaved like he is an India player, who has scored a triple century in Test cricket,” Ranade told mid-day on Wednesday.

‘Hard work paying off’

Nair, who represented the country in six Tests, had scored an unbeaten 303 against England in the 2016 Chennai Test. He played a vital role in Vidarbha’s Ranji triumph last season, scoring 863 runs, which included four centuries. “I think his individual emphasises and hard work played a big part. He never missed his scheduled gym sessions and followed his diet strictly. I never saw him play a bad shot or do anything out of the box during net practice. He gave equal importance to catching and fielding sessions. That showed his mental toughness.