India, Aug. 1 -- Karun Nair hasn't had the easiest return to life on the international stage, not quite able to match his production and consistency on the domestic level. In the first three matches of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Karun got a handful of starts but was never able to convert to a big one, forcing the team management to drop him, before turning back to him for the fifth and final Test match.

As the players walked off for stumps on Day 1, Karun on 52*, broadcast cameras picked up the Indian batter receiving a nice gesture from English batter Joe Root, one of the modern batting greats in Test cricket, as he commended Nair for his solid innings thus far. Root, who has been busy breaking records in this series, understood the...