Kiran Karthikeyan said a refined batting process was key to his prolific season in the Col. C.K. Nayudu Trophy, where he is Tamil Nadu’s leading run-getter with 634 runs in 13 innings at an average of 52.83, including two hundreds.

The 19-year-old, playing his first season at the u-23 level, said valuable lessons from last season’s Cooch Behar Trophy (u-19) and his time in the TNCA first division league, where he plays for MRC-A, helped shape his approach.

Kiran Karthikeyan in action in the CK Nayudu Trophy final at Natham in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, on Tuesday, 10 March 2026.
| Photo Credit:
G. KARTHIKEYAN

“Earlier, I would just watch the ball and play and get 20s and 30s, but not make it big. To sustain that approach for a prolonged period, I realised I needed a process. I brought in a mindset that I have to bat for maximum overs.

“Instead of going in wanting to hit a hundred, if you bat for 50–60 overs, a hundred becomes a byproduct. Runs will come in phases. Even if they don’t come for ten overs, they will in the next ten. Small adjustments like that helped me in a major way,” he said.