'But in my mind, it was just about going out there and giving myself a few balls and just getting used to the speed of the game again and the atmosphere.'
Karun Nair marked his return to the Indian Premier League with a superb 40-ball 89 for Delhi Capitals on Sunday.
Nair was away from the league for two seasons, he always knew what to expect from opposition in terms of quality having been there and done that earlier too.
Grabbing his first opportunity of the season with both hands, Nair's belligerent 89 was an exhibiion of stroke play at it's best, in a chase of 206.
But it was in vain as DC ended on 193 in 19 overs to go down by 12 runs to Mumbai Indians.
Not many batters have hit Jasprit Bumrah for two sixes in an over and Karun underlined his preparation as a key to success, having gained enough confidence during the domestic season in which he aggregated 1870 runs for Vidarbha across formats.
"Honestly, I had the confidence that I've played [IPL] before and I know how it's going to be, and it's nothing different that I'm going to be facing anything new," said Nair, a Test-match triple-centurion, told reporters.
"So, but in my mind, it was just about going out there and giving myself a few balls and just getting used to the speed of the game again and the atmosphere," said Nair, who last played in the 2022 season for Rajasthan Royals.
When asked about his striking against Bumrah, Nair said, "It was about picking the right balls and playing to the areas that I wanted to play. He is the best bowler at the moment in world cricket. So, I had to be very watchful of where he was going to bowl. But again, I just backed myself and backed the areas that I wanted to score."
He also spoke about hitting conventional shots during Powerplay and then going for improvisation during the latter part of the innings.
"So I just told myself, 'give yourself the time, play normal shots and then, you know, improvise when needed'. Fortunately, everything came off, and I'm happy that I batted well. But again, I would have loved that if the team had gone on to win."
He didn't play in first four games but knew that sooner or later his chance would come and he would have to be ready.
"Look, obviously, we lost an important player in Faf, and we always knew -- the few of us batters who are sitting outside who should be and have to be ready at any given time. So, mentally, I was ready, and obviously looking forward to the chance, whenever it came,"
"I felt confident. I felt like, I'm well prepared to play in the IPL if given the opportunity. So it was all about me preparing the way that I've been all through the season and waiting for my chance. So I was doing my bit to prepare and be ready for the game.
With four wins and a loss, Delhi Capitals are currently second in the points table. They will take on the Rajasthan Royals in their sixth match of IPL 2025 at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Wednesday, April 16.
"It's always a tough call for the team to pick 11 or 12 players, and I've always respected that. For me, it was about preparing and keeping the same process that I followed, which has worked for me, and just being ready to go out there and perform for the team."
Nair played six Tests and two one-day internationals for India before falling out of favour.
He smashed a triple hundred against England in a 2016 Test in Chennai and yet was dropped for the next match when teammate Ajinkya Rahane returned from injury.
Nair bounced around the IPL for several years but failed to make much of an impression during stints at Bangalore, Rajasthan, Delhi and Punjab.
After playing only three games for the Royals in 2022, Nair's future in the IPL looked bleak.
While his prayers for an IPL return went unanswered in 2023 and 2024, Nair's form in domestic cricket, where he scored a truckload of runs for his state team, prompted Delhi to take a punt on him for this year's tournament.
On Sunday it looked like he had never been away.
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