Thrilled Karun eager to make most of national call-up

A mere two season old on the domestic circuit and an India call-up has understandably not "sunk in" yet. But Karnataka batsman Karun Nair has had little time to sit back and enjoy the moment. As he prepared to leave for Colombo to join Virat Kohli and Co., a piece of advice from batting legend GR Viswanath rang constantly in his head. "Whenever you get an opportunity, make it big and make it count," Vishwanath had told him in his debut season.

Speaking about the unexpected call-up, Karun, who arrived in Bengaluru from Wayanad on Monday, where he was a part of the India 'A' squad, said: "Rahul (Dravid) sir came to my room and said congratulations. I didn't know why he was congratulating me. That's when he said, 'You have been selected for the third Test in Sri Lanka.' I didn't know how to react, I just stood there straightfaced. Like every cricketer in the country, my ultimate ambition is to play for India. I'm happy I have got the opportunity and I want to make the most of it."

Karun believes the advice from his Rajas than Royals mentor and India 'A' coach Rahul Dravid will hold him in good stead. "I spoke to Rahul sir before I left Waynad. He told me, 'You have everything in you to do well in international cricket. Concentrate on what you are doing now. Don't change anything.' The interaction with Dravid sir over the years, first in the IPL and now with India 'A' has helped me in many ways. It is mostly the mental aspects. I've been losing concentration while batting in the 30's and 40's. We have worked on that. He hasn't got too much into the technicalities of my game, instead has always told me that my technique is good and I don't have to change anything," Karun said.

Karun also believes his Karnataka mates Stuart Binny and KL Rahul, who are already in the Indian squad, will be a huge support. "It helps a lot to go into a team which already has Rahul and Stuart, because it is a comfort factor for me. (Ajinkya) Rahane being there too helps because we've played together for two years in the Indian Premier League." he explained.

The ongoing unofficial Test series against South Africa 'A' and the triangular one-day series which included Australia 'A' didn't see Karun make too many runs but the Karnataka batsman felt that one half-century (50 versus Australia A') and the unbeaten 114 against South Africa 'A' last week had helped in building his confidence.

As a new journey begins, Karun reflected on the turning point of his career, the landmark 328 against Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy finale in March this year. "It was a turning point for me. I had done well the previous season and everyone was expecting me to do well in the following season as well. That innings put me back in the reckoning. I'm grateful that it happened," Karun said.