Ashwin backs Nair after costly fall, says ‘I’m not making excuses’

Punjab Kings scored 265 runs against Delhi Capitals in Delhi, recording the highest wicket-chase success rate in IPL history. But for Karen Nair, it was a night of missed opportunities and palpable heartbreak. Nair endured a tough outing on the pitch, losing Shreyas Iyer twice in the space of four balls, and these errors proved to be decisive in the match. The first chance came on the last ball of the 15th over when Vipraj Nigam induced Iyer to bowl an untimely lob towards long-on. Nair sat comfortably under it, but spilled what looked like a simple thing. The reaction said it all, Nigam fell to the floor in disbelief knowing that a major opportunity had gone.Just four balls later, Iyer was given another lifeline. On the second ball of the 16th over, Kuldeep Yadav cheated him with a wrong ‘un’. The ball sailed wide from the edge of the top but Nair again positioned himself perfectly but couldn’t hold on.After the second fall, Nair looked visibly shaken and almost cried, while Delhi let the game slip further. Iyer made the most of his opportunity, scoring 71 off 36 balls to lead Kings XI Punjab home with seven balls remaining to complete a historic chase.Despite making costly mistakes, former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin came out in strong support of Nair, offering a measured take on Nair’s struggles.Ashwin said on his YouTube channel Ash Ki Baat:“Let me tell you about the situation with Karun Nair. When players know they are not in the squad for a match, they usually know at least a day in advance. Players who have been dropped or rested often go to the gym or do extra training on match day to stay fit because they know the next day is likely to be a travel day with late-night flights and limited training time. So, maybe Karun Nair “switched off” mentally, although that may be the wrong word, but he may have been fatigued from training. I’m not making excuses, but with the intensity of the game that the substitutes suddenly come into, these things can happen,” Ashwin said. “He failed to catch one catch and his confidence plummeted after that. Karun is actually a good fielder. I have seen him very reliable in first-class red-ball cricket, especially at closer range. I have rarely seen him drop balls like that but today was one of those occasions,” Ashwin added.