NEW DELHI: Did India men’s cricket team chief selector Ajit Agarkar apply the proverbial full stop to Karun Nair’s cricket career on Thursday? A 15-player squad was named for the two Test matches against West Indies with Nair’s name missing.The batter, who had once pleaded, “Dear cricket, give me one more chance” was finally heard. That long-awaited opportunity did arrive for Karun. ‘Dear cricket’ knocked on his door, and he was included in India’s squad for the England tour. But Karun didn’t know then that this chance — one he had waited for more than 3000 days — would not have a beautiful ending.Sitting quietly in his room in Karnataka, Karun – who posted 205 runs from four Tests at an average of 25.62 against England – waited anxiously for the selection news. When it arrived from Dubai, heartbreak followed. His name was missing from the India squad.“Yes, I did expect the selection,” Karun told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview. “I don’t know what to say. No words. I don’t have any much comments to make. It’s very difficult for me to answer,” he said.
Karun Nair played in 4 out of 5 Tests against England in the five-match series (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
Before the England sojourn, Karun had sent a clear message to the selectors. The right-hander was prolific in the 2024–25 domestic season, scoring 863 runs in nine Ranji Trophy matches with four centuries, and 779 runs in eight Vijay Hazare Trophy innings, including five hundreds.On the England tour, after failing to reach a half-century mark in the first three Tests, he was dropped for the fourth Test.Despite his poor returns, Nair was given another chance in the fifth Test at The Oval, where he finally raised his bat after scoring 57 off 109 balls. That knock was the highest score in the first innings and helped India post a respectable 224. India went on to win the thrilling Test by six runs.“You should probably ask the selectors on what they’re thinking. Only thing is, in the last Test match also, I got a 50 when no one else scored in the first inning. So, yeah, I thought I contributed to the team and especially in the last game that we won. But yeah, it is what it is. Those things don’t matter,” a dejected Karun said.
Brydon Carse celebrates dismissing Karun Nair during Day Four of the 3rd Test vs India at Lord’s (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
After announcing the squad, Agarkar was asked about Karun’s exclusion. He said they had expected more from Karun.“We expected more from Karun Nair in England. It cannot be about just one innings. Yeah, frankly, we expected a bit more from Karun on the England trip there,” Agarkar said.Now, things are back to where it started for Karun.At 33, he is once again returning to domestic cricket — but this time, even he isn’t sure if his mindset is about making another comeback.
Poll
What do you think is the main reason for Nair’s exclusion from the squad?
“There’s nothing much I can say. There’s nothing much that I can do to change anything. So, yeah, I just have to keep going. At least from my point of view, not from others’ point of view. In my head, I’m very clear. I did my best they have made the decision and you have to respect that,” he said.“Now I’m just going to play Ranji Trophy,” Karun added.
