In July, six people drowned and a few others were reported missing when a boat with more than a hundred people on board capsized in a river in Kerala. Karun Nair was on that boat, taking part in a temple festival with his family as thanksgiving for making his India debut. Nair was one of the survivors - he had to swim some distance before being rescued by a group of locals.The incident came in the middle of a mixed few months in Nairs life. He had just played for India for the first time, during their ODI tour of Zimbabwe, his selection a reward for his consistency both in first-class cricket - he averaged more than 50 after three seasons - and the IPL. He hadnt really grabbed the chance, scoring only 46 in two innings while opening the batting in fairly low-pressure chases. The lack of form continued through India As tour of Australia, but he was back in form at the start of the 2016-17 domestic season, when he was also handed the captaincy of the Karnataka side for the first time.Now, he is part of Indias Test squad for the first two Tests against England. He has been part of the squad before, but this time he is one of only six specialist batsmen included.I was disappointed with the way my ODI debut series panned out. I dont think I lived up to the standards I set myself, Nair tells ESPNcricinfo. Probably I didnt grab my chances. But after the tour I decided to put that behind me and look forward to the new season. I didnt want to sit and keep hoping, but I knew my chances will come sooner than later if I keep scoring runs.Rohit Sharmas quadriceps injury means, Nair - who has scores of 74, 54*, 53 and 145 in his first four innings of the new Ranji Trophy season - could get his Test cap in Rajkot on November 9 if India play six specialist batsmen. With Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane entrenched at Nos. 3, 4 and 5, Nair could be in line for the No. 6 slot.Im not too fussy about batting positions, honestly, Nair says. Ive been playing up the order in the IPL, so in white-ball cricket, Ive enjoyed batting up the order. I started off as an opener for my state side in my junior-cricket days and then settled at No. 4. In Zimbabwe, I was asked if I would be ready to open. As a debutant, you cant have preferences, and it was a challenge I readily accepted.Having been on the fringes of the Test team, you do think of all this while sitting outside, but eventually its about being confident in your abilities and trusting the technique that has got you to this level.It hasnt always been the case. A few years ago, Nair was full of self-doubt, which stemmed not from an inability to score runs but an inability to convert starts. Till he was 19, he hadnt scored a century at any age-group level.I had a mental block while growing up, but that also made me learn you dont throw away starts, Nair says. Not being able to convert starts made me tougher. I became more attacking. I used to make 60s and 70s and get out. When I started to attack and bat more freely, I realised the 30-40 runs came quite easily. That change in mindset made a big difference. Now, I tend to play to the situation even though I believe Im an attacking batsman.The vote of confidence about Nairs technique came from the India A coach Rahul Dravid, whom he sought out ahead of the home series against South Africa A in September 2015.Once I got the confidence from him, all my self-doubts vanished, Nair says. I was batting within myself initially. I asked him about the areas I needed to work on. It felt reassuring to hear him tell me there was nothing wrong.Someone like him saying that was of real value, so Ive never had any batting conversations with him since. He has been very supportive, backed me in pressure situations and given me the opportunity to express myself. At that stage, he had more confidence in me than I did. That sort of gives you a boost from within.There were signs of Nair having erased that self-doubt when he made a match-saving fourth-innings century in the first unofficial Test. That earned him a maiden call-up to Indias squad, for the third Test in Sri Lanka.Dravid, who has worked closely with Nair while coaching or mentoring India A, Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Daredevils, picks out his hunger and attitude as qualities that have helped him transition to the next level.Karun is still a work in progress, but obviously his skills and temperament have got him to this stage, Dravid says. He picks lengths early; his instincts as a batsman are solid now.So where did he see Nair evolve into the batsman he is today?I think the role change at Delhi Daredevils brought out the best in him, Dravid says. At Rajasthan Royals, he was batting behind the main guys like Shane Watson, Steven Smith and Ajinkya Rahane. At Delhi, we gave youngsters responsibility to drive the innings, and let seniors lower down the order handle the slightly challenging situations. He showed his ability to adapt there.Having been part of the Test squad on two occasions without getting a look-in, Nair says the experience was an eye-opener in terms of what he needed to do to remain in those environs, and he soaked in the feeling of being in the dressing room and chatting with Kohli and the support staff.It was a great feeling being around legends and future legends, Nair says. It felt amazing when they spoke of your domestic performances. That gave me a sense of belonging. 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They agree the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro are surely the last time theyll play for Auriemma, who is 62. And all three of them are determined to give this last ride together the reverence -- and irreverence -- it deserves.He likes to talk a lot -- dont pay attention to what he says, Bird needled earlier this summer at a pre-Olympic event in New York City that she and Auriemma attended.The common trait that all three of us share is none of us ever thinks were wrong -- but Sue is the most passive-aggressive, Auriemma countered.Hes right -- see there, I agreed with you. Which technically makes him wrong, Bird said with a laugh.Told that Taurasi had recently claimed that every team shes ever played on, including Auriemmas, has been dysfunctional, Auriemma smirked and said, Sometimes theyre dysfunctional because shes on the team. Thats the common denominator, right?Then he laughed again.Dee and I had a conversation on the phone just the other day about this being our last time together, Auriemma added, using Taurasis nickname. And it was a moment where we both kind of told each other, I wouldnt be where I am without you.Its going to be sweet and bittersweet, Taurasi said of this Olympic run during a recent phone interview.If the measure is winning, Auriemma, Bird and Taurasi are unmatched as a trio in womens basketball history.Bird is in the conversation for best point guard who ever lived alongside Dawn Staley, Theresa Edwards and Nancy Lieberman.Taurasi, even now, is still considered one of the best players in the world. Auriemma said what her brash exterior hides is that shes the best teammate that ever lived. And I say that knowing she and Sue are 1 and 1A.Since turning pro in 2004, Taurasi has won three Olympic gold medals with Bird and the U.S. team, three WNBA titles with the Phoenix Mercury, and six international titles in the EuroLeague. Three of those were with Bird, as well.Bird, also a four-time Olympian, has won two WNBA titles with the Seattle Storm since turning pro in 2002 and played seven years with Taurasi in Russia.At UConn, Auriemma won four of his record 11 NCAA titles with Bird and/or Taurasi in the backcourt. Some folks still argue the Huskies undefeated 2002 title team was the most talented squad ever assembled.So when Auriemma reunited with his former stars for the 2012 Olympics after a long break as their head coach, it seemed like bonus time. Taurasi cried on the podium in London after the American team won its fifth straight gold medal. Bird admitted she was unsure shed be back to the Summer Games. Auriemma (who had also been an assistant for the 2008 Olympics) was convinced he was done as a national team coach.The top job was, he said back then, the most pressure-packed situation hed ever found himself in.If you lose at Connecticut, everybody at Connecticut has a heart attack, Auriemma said. If you lose with the U.S. national team, the whole country that follows womens basketball wants to kill me.Their relationship has changed a lot since Auriemma regularly rode Bird in practices and games, telling her that as his point guard she was responsible for everything that happened on the court, even when it was a UConn teammate who made the wrong cut or threw the wrong pass. On a trip back to UConn this spring, Bird said it was the best and worst advice she got from Auriemma because she saw, in time, that he wasnt gratuitously picking on her. (Im easy to play for -- just do everything I say, Auriemma cracked.) Rather, Bird said Auriemmas prodding forced her to concentrate even more on running the team, anticipating and navigating situations, thinking on the fly, and controlling every aspect of the game.Asked now for an anecdote that might illustrate what those formative days were like, Bird said, Is it OK if its not G-rated? You know he cant be miked for TV games, right? He swears too much.Bird wondered if UConn was the right place for her when Auriemma gave scholarships to two other guards the same year she was recruited out of Christ the King High School in New York City. She said when she discussed her concerns with him, his response was, Follow your heart.Follow your heart? Thats it?Actually, it was the best advice he couldve given me, she insisted. UConn is different. He doesnt beg anyone to come. Saying that made me ask myself if I was the kind of person who could accept the challenge.Taurasi and Auriemmas relationship has a different tenor. Theyre so much alike -- both thee children of immigrant Italian fathers, both stubborn, opinionated, cocky and insatiably driven to win/dominate/succeed -- and their clashes were often like an irresistible force hitting immovable object.dddddddddddd Which only made them love each other more, of course.Just not at first.Taurasi was the nations No. 1 recruit in 2000, but she said she truly believed she wasnt going to survive her first year at UConn. She dreaded going to practice. An incident where Auriemma stopped a scrimmage and accused her of refusing to take a charge was typical. Taurasi essentially said, Did not! Auriemma countered, Did so!So he stopped practice and lined up the full team -- Shea Ralph, Svetlana Abrosimova, Sue Bird, everybody -- and told them to just go at me, Taurasi said. But I wouldnt fall. I took about 30 blocks or collisions and I still wouldnt fall down. Then he threw me out of the gym.Auriemma said his mission with Taurasi was the same as it is with every player: I didnt want her to cheat her talent.Taurasi said, Hopefully Im a lot more mature now.When Taurasi or Bird talk now, Geno-isms routinely leak into their conversations. Birds take on how the U.S. again isnt necessarily taking the 12 most talented American players to the Olympics, but the players who will hopefully meld into the best team, is a line straight out of Auriemmas playbook. So was Taurasis response when asked before the London Olympics if the American teams dominance had become boring.Her retort: I dont give a s---. Im trying to win a gold medal. Which sounded like something Auriemma would say.Bird has since said of Taurasi, Whether its deaths in the families or winning championships -- and, of course, heartbreaking losses as well -- weve experienced it together. When its all said and done, the majority of my fond basketball memories will involve her. Absolutely.Taurasi said she and Bird have been together so long, We can almost finish each others sentences. Shes the best point guard Ive ever played with. Shes also one of my best friends.When Auriemma was waffling after the London Games about returning for a second stint as head coach of the U.S. Olympic team, Bird and Taurasi double-teamed him and worked on him until he agreed to return for Rio. Bird lobbied him over the phone. Taurasi -- who said she typically speaks to Auriemma three times a week, whether shes overseas or in the States -- called, texted and met with Auriemma to pitch why he should join them for another gold-medal chase.The two of them have come a long way from when Taurasi left UConn for the WNBA in 2004 and Auriemma banned her from campus until she finished her degree.Not long ago, Taurasi divulged in a podcast that she played one of her UConn championship seasons at 185 pounds (or about 30 more pounds than she s carrying now), which later prompted Auriemma to crack, Yeah, I know. I remember telling her the best thing that happened to her before her freshman year here was she got food poisoning and lost about 10 pounds.And they are back to needling each other again.One thing Bird, Taurasi and Auriemma independently mention about their Olympic runs is the noticeable role reversal that has happened over the years. Auriemma said that since taking over as national team coach he has routinely sought out both players and asked, Am I going down the right path here?The partnership worked like a dream in London. And the U.S. is a heavy favorite to defend its gold medal in Rio.If this is indeed the UConn trios last ride together, it has been a remarkable, sport-changing run. In the 16 years since they first played together, Bird and Taurasi have gone from being girls to women to basketball legends. And Auriemma is the womens basketballs equivalent of John Wooden. Best. Coach. Ever.Sometimes I look and I cant believe everything hes accomplished, Bird said.Without him, Taurasi affirmed, I definitely wouldnt be in the position Im in, in basketball or life.For me, its a very conscious thing that for us its coming to an end, Auriemma admitted. I think about it a lot.Auriemma said that among the things hes valued the most over the years is how he, Bird and Taurasi have stuck together, and the affection they share.Like, I remember one time they Skyped me from Russia, Auriemma said. It was real late wherever they were, and Dee just went off and said this, that and whatever, and I was just like, pffttt, and I hung up.You hung up?I hung up, Auriemma repeated. I said, I cant listen to this. I just cant do it. At least Sue gets a little bit embarrassed when they do something dumb like that. Dee? Zero.When he is told that right about here Taurasi might remind him theyre grown-ass women, Auriemma nodded and laughed again.You know how when your kids move away from home and whatever theyre doing, you dont really want to know? he asked.With them, I really dont want to know.Then his smile suggested its the biggest lie hes ever told in his life. 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