Got time to work on my game in the UK: Karun Nair

Karun Nair has been a patient man. For someone who scored a 565-minute triple-century in only his third Test, Nair has learned the virtue of waiting, even when he has fallen on the wrong side of selection deliberations.

After spending 81 days in the United Kingdom, where he did not play a single game, Nair is back home batting alongside the likes of Mayank Agarwal and Stuart Binny for Karnataka in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

The face doesn't show it; it looks as tranquil and emotionless as it did when he became India's second triple-centurion, back in 2016 against England.

In a free-wheeling chat with Sportskeeda at the 10th edition of the Karnataka Golf Festival, Nair said that the downtime in the UK helped him fine-tune his batting skills.

"I have been working hard on my fitness. I had a lot of time off and didn't play any game in the United Kingdom. I had a lot of time to think about my game and work on it."

Named captain of the Board President's XI for the warmup game against the touring West Indies side later this month, Nair is aiming to keep it simple and 'make as much use of the opportunity as possible'.

Speaking on his off-season training regimen, and how it shapes up compared to on-season days, Nair said that the intensity of training reduces during packed season-days, but he ensures he never skips even a day of training.

"The training off-season is a lot more intense. During the season you play a lot of cricket. We cut down on the training, but I make sure I do a little bit of training every day. I don't miss any sessions because it makes me feel good. I am keeping my diet very simple".

A lot of cricketers are trading the cricket bat for a golf club, at least during off-days - the stationary ball in golf helps maintain balance and form, it is reckoned. Alongside former cricketers Ajit Agarkar and Subramaniam Badrinath, Nair took time away to tee off at the Karnataka Golf Association.

"I have been enjoying golf a lot over the last two years. It is a kind of a stress-buster for me because, during the season, I don't get to play it. If I am taking a break or if I take a few days off, I take to golf because it totally gets me off cricket and helps me unwind".

Nair doesn't find many golf buddies in the Indian team but wants the side's solid No.3 batsman to venture into the sport.

"I would like to keep it funny - Cheteshwar Pujara should play golf!", he says, with a chuckle.

"Not many play the game, but Murali Vijay and I played a couple of times in the UK. One person I would like to play golf with is Sachin Tendulkar".

When asked about the best in the Indian team, Nair cheekily proclaimed, "I am the best!".

"Vijay and I played golf a couple of times in the UK"

Despite playing throughout the year, Nair doesn't dabble just in cricket and golf.

"I generally play a little bit of football, a bit of table tennis. I follow football a lot - I'm a very keen Manchester United fan".

For someone whose fitness regimen is completed by 7 am, Nair isn't a believer of rigorous schedules but admires the way Virat Kohli has upped the health quotient consistently, across seasons now.

"Virat Kohli has aced the fitness scene. He has been so disciplined over so many years, to put your mind to something and actually go out there and achieve it, he has been brilliant. He's an inspiration to everyone in the team and all the youngsters".

"If there is anyone who should be emulated in terms of cricket and fitness it is probably Kohli right now".

"To put your mind to something and actually go out there and achieve it, Kohli has been brilliant"

People have carried a perception that golf and cricket are both slow sports - a recent survey in the UK stated that close to 60% of people find cricket boring. While Nair admits that he wasn't a big fan of golf initially, he takes the case of the recent India-England series to prove how even Test cricket can't be considered boring, and continues to grow.

"People who don't play golf and who don't follow it might say it's boring. A couple of years ago, I didn't used to watch golf because I used to consider it boring. You need to start hitting the ball, that's when it becomes fun".

"I don't think cricket is a slow sport at all. There's T20 cricket and it's going to grow further and Test cricket is the ultimate form. If you see the recent series in the United Kingdom, I don't think it is boring at all".