Karun Nair 'overjoyed' at India call-up for Zimbabwe tour

Bengaluru, May 24: Uncapped Karnataka batsman Karun Nair said he was "overjoyed" at India call-up for the limited overs tour of Zimbabwe.

Nair hits triple century Nair hits triple century

Yesterday (May 23), the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) selection committee, headed by Sandeep Patil, picked a young side for 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is against Zimbabwe. The 16-man squad will be led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Karun Nair in action for Delhi Daredevils during IPL 2016

The 24-year-old Nair was one of the 5 uncapped players selected on Monday.

"I'm overjoyed. I can't say I expected it, but it's always at the back of your mind when you're batting well. You know there's a chance, but it's better not to have any expectations. You will not be disappointed later," Nair said, reacting to his selection news.

Nair is part of the Delhi Daredevils (DD) team in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2016 (IPL 9). He was bought for Rs 4 crore at this year's players auction. DD failed to make the playoffs. (Triple ton was important: Nair)

On his IPL performance this year, he said, "I am happy but not satisfied. I could have done better. I couldn't convert starts in many of the games. I'm a little bit
disappointed with that but happy overall,"

Nair was part of the Indian Test squad last year on the tour of Sri Lanka. Despite not getting a chance to play, the right-hander said he learnt a lot.

"It was a great experience just to be part of the team environment and be among all the players. It was a great learning experience. The quality of practice and facilities is so much better. There is such a difference. Just by being there, I was able to learn so much," he said.

Nair made his first-class debut for Karnataka in 2013. Since then, he has impressed with the bat in Ranji Trophy. He scored a record triple century (328) in Ranji Trophy final in 2015 as Karnataka clinched the title against Tamil Nadu at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.

In 32 first-class matches so far, Nair has accumulated 2,481 runs at an impressive average of 52.78 with 7 hundreds and 8 fifties.

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