Karun Nair: Consistency key to India’s long-term success

The Karnataka batsman believes India will benefit by ‘focusing on how we play as a team’.

Eye on the ball: Karun Nair believes India would benefit by maintaining focus on its “brand of cricket.”

Karun Nair may not have been a part of the Indian team which drubbed Afghanistan in just two days in a one-off Test outing, but the Karnataka batsman has followed the entire proceedings from the pavilion.

He feels that with every cricketer chipping in, India found it easy to gain upper hand over the new entrant in Test cricket.

"We were not looking at who were playing and we were focusing on our brand of cricket. It doesn't matter who we play or where we play. It is about focusing on how we play as a team. We have to keep that as constant," Nair told

Sportstar during a free-wheeling chat on Saturday.

The young batsman also believes that if India can maintain this consistency, something it has done over the last few years, the team will remain on top of the rankings. "We have done that (been consistent) for the last few years, and if we can do it, we will stay as No. 1 Test team. Everyone chips in at the right moment and collectively you start performing. We can beat any team on the day," Nair said.

‘Great thing’ for Afghanistan

Just like most of his team-mates, even Nair believes that more exposure to longer format of the game will help Afghanistan get the house in order. "It is a historic moment for them to get Test status and play against India. It is a great thing like the way Afghanistan has made it to Test cricket. They will only get better," Nair said.

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"We have seen how fast they have improved in T20 and ODI cricket. It's about getting more games under their belt. They will learn from this match," Nair said.

Returning to the Test circuit, Karun would have ideally loved to be in the middle but now, he has set sights on the England tour as India A team's captain.