'This isn't a young team, this is a gun team'

India batter Karun Nair rued that he could not convert the starts he got in the recent Test series against England into big scores but understands that letting those disappointments ebb away is important for him to return to his run-making ways.

Nair made 205 runs from four Tests at an average of 25 with just one fifty in his comeback series after an eight-year hiatus. 

"I was disappointed at not being able to convert the start at The Oval (where he made a 57) into a century. But it was quite important to grind my way on that first day with the team in a tricky position. The nerves were there, but I was feeling good. I was hoping to convert, which I couldn't,” Nair told ESPNCricinfo. 

The Karnataka batter acknowledged that it was an "up and down series" for him, and was a disappointment after his big-scoring ways in domestic cricket earned him a berth in the national team. 

"I did reflect a lot. But it's also important to let go of what has happened and look forward to what I need to do in the next few months. 

"It's about keeping my focus levels up and making sure I go on and make big scores, irrespective of the level I'm playing at,”

he added. 

Nair lauded skipper Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir for holding the team together through an intensely-fought five-match Test series.

"The way Shubman held everyone together and the encouragement he gave was great to see. He was crystal clear with his communication from the beginning. To achieve what he did as a batter, while also leading the team...as a leader, he exemplified the spirit of Gauti bhai (Gambhir)," he said.

"Right at the very beginning, Gauti bhai said, he doesn't want us to look at it as a team in transition. He didn't want us to feel that way. The first message we got was 'this isn't a young team, this is a gun team and everyone must feel it from within."

Nair was in awe of the way an injured Rishabh Pant batted during the fourth Test at Manchester, and said the attitude defined the team as a whole. 

"…to see Rishabh walk out to bat with a broken toe - it was one of the moments of the series. It was astonishing for everyone to see. It told you what a great player he is, and more importantly, the person he is. 

"That kind of exemplified the philosophy of the team. Of putting everything first for the team, it's not about individuals," he added.