Key Points

For the past two seasons, Nair was with Vidarbha. He received a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Vidarbha Cricket Association on Monday evening, allowing him to represent his original state team, according to ESPNcricinfo.

Nair's return is coming at a point in time when his stocks have risen considerably, courtesy of his consistent performances in the domestic circuit. He was a key figure during Vidarbha's run to the Ranji Trophy title last season, which contributed to his recall to the Indian Test fold after an eight-year absence.

In 16 innings, he garnered 863 runs at 53.93 laced with four centuries, including a match-winning century in the final against Kerala. Nair also thrived in his record-shattering run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. During the 50-over tournament, he captained Vidarbha to a runners-up finish.

He topped the scoring charts with 779 runs in eight innings, including five consecutive hundreds while striking ferociously at 124.01. During his dream run, he added another feather to his cap by setting a new List A record of scoring the most runs (542) without being dismissed.

However, he is yet to replicate his impactful performances in England so far. He warmed up for the series with a blistering double hundred for India A against England Lions in the first unofficial Test, but soon faded away. Since the beginning of the series, Nair has produced scores of 0, 20, 31, 26, 40 and 14 in the three Tests.

With Nair's return, Karnataka will have a selection headache, considering R Smaran, KL Shrijith and KV Aneesh, all enjoyed breakout seasons in the 2024-25 campaign. Smaran was at the summit of the runs tally for Karnataka, hammering 516 runs in ten innings during the Ranji season, while Shrijith tonked a century on first-class debut.

Mayank Agarwal is likely to continue as captain, and Devdutt Padikkal will potentially be a definite starter. Karnataka management will need to figure out a way to accommodate all of them.

- ANI