Two and a half years since his tweet: Dear cricket, give me one more chance, Karun Nair has finally got a chance. As the BCCI Selection Committee announced the India squad for the England Test series, Nair made a return to the Test side after eight years. Nair last played for India back on March 28, 2017, against Australia. He lost his place in the side with Ajinkya Rahane getting the preference and then Nair lost his form.
That tweet he posted was after he was also dropped from Karnataka’s Ranji Trophy squad. While some asked him to stay strong, and some asked him to concentrate on cricket, Nair did both. With no place in the Karnataka squad, he made a switch to Vidarbha in 2023.
Success with Vidarbha
He finally found his lost success. In his first season at Vidarbha, Nair returned to form. After a County stint, where he scored 249 runs in three innings, including a century, Nair scored 218 runs in 7 innings of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, 230 runs in 7 innings of the Vijay Hazare Trophy and 690 runs in the Ranji Trophy in 17 innings.
Still not in his best, Nair returned to England for another County stint with Northamptonshire in 2024. He played 11 innings, scoring 487 runs at an average of 48.70, including a double century and three fifties. That was a confidence booster for Karun Nair. He continued to show form throughout the year. And finally, he has earned a recall for the IND vs ENG Test series, especially with Virat Kohli calling it quits.
“It’s fair on somebody, it’s unfair on someone else. At the moment, he (Karun Nair) has scored heaps of runs. He has played a bit of county cricket. With Virat not there, clearly we’re lacking a bit of experience. We felt his experience could help,” BCCI Selection Committee chairman Ajit Agarkar said on Nair’s selection.
| Tournament | Inns | Runs | Avg | Best | 50 | 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County Championships (FC) | 11 | 487 | 48.7 | 202 | 3 | 1 |
| Maharaja Trophy T20 | 12 | 560 | 56 | 124 | 5 | 1 |
| Mushatq Ali Trophy T20 | 5 | 255 | 42.5 | 77 | 3 | 0 |
| Vijay Hazare Trophy (50 ovs) | 8 | 779 | 389.5 | 163 | 1 | 5 |
| Ranji Trophy (FC) | 16 | 863 | 53.94 | 135 | 2 | 4 |
Will Karun Nair play the IND vs ENG 1st Test?
While Karun Nair has earned a recall, it doesn’t guarantee him a place in India’s Playing XI right away. Surely, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s retirement from Test cricket has vacated two places. But there are others who are ahead on the pecking order. It will all come down to what Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill decide.
If KL Rahul continues as an opener, India can fill in two spots in the middle-order. But if the team management decides that KL Rahul should bat at No 5 with Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sai Sudharsan getting the preference, Nair will have to wait for his chances.
Easwaran has been with the India Test squad waiting for his chance and with Rohit Sharma retiring, the Bengal opener could finally get that opportunity. That would force KL Rahul to bat at No 3 or 4 with Shubman Gill taking the other slot. That could still open up a No 5 slot for Karun Nair.
However, it will depend on how Nair performs in the India A vs England Lions series. If Nair does well, he will surely be picked ahead of Sudharsan. But if he doesn’t do well, he will have to wait for his chance.
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