Why Karun Nair chose to join Vidarbha after leaving Karnataka despite offering to play for Kerala

During an interview with Malayalam news channel 24, Nair shared insights into his decision-making process regarding a potential switch. "There were discussions happening when I was considering leaving Karnataka. I explored my options and although there were talks, it did not progress further."

"I had offered myself to KCA, but it didn't go forward,” explained Karun. “At the same time, I got the offer from Vidarbha. I wasn't in a situation to wait, as I wasn't in a best spot. I wanted to clear my mind and that was only possible by joining a team. So I joined Vidarbha.”

Karun, who has famously struck a triple century for India in Test cricket, has gone on to gain the captaincy of the Vidarbha team, and has been in particularly strong form in recent months, which even saw him as an outside consideration for India's ICC Champions Trophy squad due to his incredible performances in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy earlier this year.

Vidarbha reached the finals of the tournament, thanks in large part to Karun’s incredible campaign which saw him score 779 runs in 8 matches, including five centuries and a whopping average of 389.5. However, the trophy wouldn’t come for Karun, as his Vidarbha team lost by just 36 runs to his former team Karnataka in the finals.

Vidarbha hunting third Ranji title

theless, Karun has continued his strong form since the return of the Ranji Trophy, scoring a century against Hyderabad in the group stage before adding another against Tamil Nadu in the quarterfinals. He has helped take Vidarbha to another Ranji final, as they look for their third Ranji title in seven seasons.

Vidarbha took a 37-run lead over Kerala in the final, putting themselves in a strong position with two days of play left. Karun contributed with a score of 86 in the first innings, only dismissed via a run out. Kerala might be wondering how different things could have been if they had acted faster during Karun’s pursuit of a switch.

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