India, June 17 -- As Karun Nair prepares for a potential return to India's Test XI after eight long years, the 33-year-old admits the journey back has been far from straightforward. From the dizzying high of a triple hundred in just his third Test to years of frustration and self-doubt, Nair's story is one of rare mental resilience.

While his prolific run in domestic cricket has recently put him back in contention, Nair singled out the "end of 2022" as the most difficult stretch of his life, one that took a deep toll. It was during that time when Nair posted an emotional post on his official X (then Twitter) account, telling the sport to give him "another chance." Karnataka, his former state side, had dropped him from squads across all f...