Karun Nair determined to seal India team berth for the upcoming England Tour

Karnataka-born batsman Karun Nair hit the headlines back in 2016 when he scored an impressive unbeaten 303 against England at home and became the third player in international cricket to convert his maiden century into a triple century. But the young batsman failed to build on that performance and was dropped from the Indian Test setup last year after the series against Australia.

Nair has been given a chance to prove his merit in the upcoming one-off Test match against Afghanistan which is scheduled for June 14 at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore. Nair will see that as an opportunity to impress selectors and secure a place in the Test squad for the England tour which will start next month.

"I'm really excited to be given another opportunity. It has been a while now. I have worked very hard over the last one-and-a-half years. I know that I have become better.

"You know that you're going to get a few innings and you have to make the most of it," he said. "It has been the case with everyone. If you settle down and keep making consistent scores then you have some breathing space," the youngster said in an interview with TOI.

Nair revealed that he has worked on his fitness a lot ever since being dropped from the Test team last year and claimed that he knew he was a better batsman than he was two years ago and looked to build on that confidence in the upcoming Test.

"I have become fitter. I have improved my skills over the last two years. I think I have done a lot and scoring runs in domestic cricket really helps. I have worked on my fielding and every aspect of the game. I know that I am a better batsman now than I was two years ago. I'd like to take that confidence into everything that I do."