Shhh, Kerala, don’t speak in Malayalam. Vidarbha’s Karun Nair is listening
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It is common in cricket to hear a wicketkeeper yell a tactic to his bowler or a close-in fielder in their native tongue while playing an opposition that communicates in a different language.
Kerala players had the luxury of speaking freely in Malayalam in most of their Ranji Trophy matches this season, especially in the quarterfinals against Jammu and Kashmir and the semifinals against Gujarat.
But they might want to reconsider that strategy in the final against Vidarbha, especially when Karun Nair is batting. The 33-year-old is a proud Malayali in the Vidarbha squad, and he speaks Malayalam as well as any Kerala-based player.
Interestingly, Nagpur-based Aditya Sarwate, who helped Vidarbha win two Ranji Trophy titles, is now part of the Kerala team. So, Vidarbha players might also be careful sharing their ideas in Marathi when Sarwate is in the middle.
"He's our boy. Hopefully, he won't tell his teammates what we speak in Malayalam," joked Kerala captain Sachin Baby while interacting with the media alongside Karun. Raised in Bengaluru, the 33-year-old Karun is an important member of Vidarbha.
He has been one of the star performers this domestic season and is Vidarbha's third-leading run-getter in the Ranji with 642 runs from 8 matches, including three centuries.
Kerala are playing the Ranji Trophy final for the first time. Sachin Baby-led Kerala produced some nerve-wracking moments this season, most notably by securing 1-run and 2-run leads in their quarterfinal and semifinal fixtures respectively. Just like Vidarbha, Kerala are also unbeaten in the Ranji this season.
Karun said that seeing Kerala in the final makes him happy, but he aims to help Vidarbha lift their third title. Karun was part of the Vidarbha team that lost last season's Ranji final to Ajinkya Rahane's Mumbai.
"Kerala have been playing so well for 3-4 seasons, so seeing them at this stage gives me so much happiness. They have our respect, but I am focused on helping my team win," Karun said. His parents are from Chengannur in the Alappuzha district, and Karun often visits his relatives in Kerala.