December 10, 2022: A shattered Karun Nair posted on Twitter, “Dear cricket, give me one more chance.” He had just been dropped from Karnataka’s Ranji Trophy squad. He was already out of Karnataka’s white-ball squads. It had been five years since he last played for India. It seemed as if his career was over at 30, as in Mirpur, a young wicketkeeper-batter, Ishan Kishan, just scored a double century.
But fast forward three years, Nair bossed over Jasprit Bumrah, the world’s best bowler at the moment, in IPL 2025 like no one else. Nair’s 40-ball 89 was a statement for the selectors, “I am ready”. But will the BCCI Selection Committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, give him that chance in the India vs England series?
His 89-run knock did not come out of the blue, though. After he moved to Vidarbha following the Karnataka snub, he reinvented himself. Nair scored 863 runs in 16 innings at 53.93 average, including four centuries. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Nair slammed 779 runs at a whopping average of 389.50. He had five centuries in 8 innings. That finally opened the door for IPL 2025. He had not played in the IPL since 2022.
However, all those stats and records will be for nothing if the selectors do not consider him for the India vs England Test series in June.
Is there a place for Karun Nair in Tests?
If one had asked this question before September 2024, the answer would have been a resounding no. But in a span of 10 Tests, things have changed. There is a place in the opening slot, while the middle-order too can use reinforcements.
Nair batted in the middle order, at No. 5 for Karnataka, Vidarbha, and also for India. At present, India’s No 5 is a musical chair. KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel, Rishabh Pant, and Sarfaraz Khan — all have tried their hands. There have been some successes, but there have been failures too.
Hence, Karun Nair can surely fight for that No. 5 spot. But there is a problem: Rohit Sharma. Despite his poor returns in the last Test season, he remains India’s Test captain. If he gets a spot in the India vs England Test series, he will open with Yashasvi Jaiswal, forcing KL Rahul to bat in the middle-order. That will shut out any competition.
However, if Rohit fails to find a place in India’s Test team, that will open up a spot in the opening. With KL Rahul successfully playing that role in England last time, he would be the ideal choice to partner Yashasvi Jaiswal, vacating No 5 slot for someone like Karun Nair.
“The door is not closed for any deserving player. Ajit addressed Nair’s case before the Champions Trophy. We have the India A tour in June before the Test series. Nair will get his chance. He is an excellent player who lost his form. If he does well, selectors will definitely look at him. They are already keeping a tab on potential players for the India A tour,” a senior BCCI official told InsideSport.
Karun Nair in domestic cricket
| Tournament | Inns | Runs | Avg | 100 | 50 | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranji Trophy | 16 | 863 | 53.93 | 4 | 2 | 135 |
| Vijay Hazare Trophy | 8 | 779 | 389.5 | 5 | 1 | 163 |
| Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy | 6 | 255 | 42.5 | 0 | 3 | 77 |
India A test first
But before Karun Nair gets “one more chance” from the BCCI, he needs to prove his worth once again. India A will tour England before the five-match Test series begins on June 20. Those two matches could be key for Nair.
The India A tour begins four days after the IPL 2025 final. Provided Delhi Capitals do not reach the final, Nair will be in that squad. If he can ace those four innings, Nair could make the India Test squad once again. The squad for the India A series will be announced later this month or early May, and the selectors are keeping a tab on Nair’s performance.
“It’s sheer persistence because what you go through when things don’t go well for you in India is not easy to withstand. Cricket is a game that moves on fast, but still, cricket has moved on, but Karun Nair has not moved on. He has never left, learning, never left working hard, never left the belief that he could make a comeback, especially in Test cricket. I would sincerely hope and love that he goes to England. He’s on that flight, uh, in the Test series,” Ambati Rayudu said, hoping that Nair gets another chance to don the India jersey again.
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