The year 2016 was memorable for Karun Nair. He made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe in July, his selection a reward for his consistency in domestic cricket - he had averaged more than 50 in his first three seasons. In October, he was elevated to captain of his state side, Karnataka. In November, he was given his first Test cap in the Mohali Test against England. In his third Test, he became India's second triple-centurion after Virender Sehwag, and only the third man in the game's history to convert a maiden Test ton into a triple.

The year wasn't just full of happy memories, though. He was involved in a boat mishap in Kerala during a temple festival, an incident in which a number of people drowned and several others were reported missing. Nair, who did not know to swim, was rescued by a group of locals.

Nair had also had a good IPL in 2016, justifying his price tag of INR 4 crore - he was sold for 40 times his base price - by playing a key role for Delhi Daredevils at the top of the order.

He had had an outstanding debut first-class season in 2013-14, becoming an instrumental part of the Karnataka side that swept the Ranji and Irani titles. He hit centuries in three successive Ranji matches, including the quarter-finals and the semi-finals, and also hit the winning six that ended Karnataka's 15-year-wait for a Ranji title. In the following season, he overcame a series of low scores to make a record-breaking triple-century as Karnataka defended their Ranji crown.

In 2014 he was signed by IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals, where he established himself in the XI, sometimes even opening the batting with Shane Watson. Consistent performances for Karnataka and India A earned him an India call-up in 2015, when he joined the Test squad in Sri Lanka as a replacement to M Vijay, though he did not debut at the time.
ESPNcricinfo staff