He managed only 205 runs in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025.
Karun Nair got a second chance to play for India during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025. He returned to India’s Test team after eight years, but failed to leave his mark.
Nair had an ordinary England tour, managing just 205 runs in eight innings at a modest average of 25.62. He got starts in every innings, but couldn’t convert them into big scores. The right-hand batter scored a crucial first-innings fifty on a green pitch at The Oval, where other Indian batters couldn’t cross the 40-run mark. His knock proved to be crucial as the Shubman Gill-led side emerged triumphant by just six runs and levelled the series 2-2.
As a result, the right-hand batter was ignored by the selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar when they announced India’s Test squad for the two-match Test series against West Indies, starting October 2. Agarkar said that team management expected more returns from Nair and hence opted for Devdutt Padikkal.
A day later, Karun Nair expressed his frustration at missing out and said that the selectors will be able to answer why he was snubbed. He further highlighted the importance of his fifty at The Oval Test.
“Yes, I did expect the selection. I don’t know what to say. No words. You should probably ask the selectors what they are thinking. The only thing is, in the last Test match, I scored a fifty when no one else managed in the first innings. So, yeah, I thought I contributed to the team, especially in the last game that we won. Those things don’t matter,” he shared.
A figure injury, sustained during the second innings of the fifth Test against England, forced the Karnataka batter to miss the recently concluded KSCA Maharaja T20 Trophy and the Duleep Trophy 2025. He was expected to participate in the two unofficial Test series against Australia A, but was named fit only after the squad announcement. More recently, the right-hand batter featured in KSCA Secretary’s XI in the Dr (Capt) K Thimmaiah Memorial Tournament 2025, but could get just three runs off 21 balls in the first innings. Due to poor outings and lack of valuable game time after injury, Nair seemed to have lost his spot in the Indian team.
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Earlier, during India’s squad announcement press conference, Agarkar gave an honest reply on why Nair was not included in the team.
“I mean, obviously, frankly, we expected a little bit more from him. He has played four Tests. We have spoken about one innings. As it is, I mean, we feel Padikkal [Devdutt] offers a little bit more at this point, and I wish we could have given everyone 15 or 20 Tests. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way,” said Agarkar.
Devdutt Padikkal has been in tremendous form in the calendar year. Firstly, the southpaw batter scored 247 runs at 150.61 to propel Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to their maiden IPL title triumph. He then topped the runs chart with 449 runs at 40.82, striking at 154.83. The 25-year-old carried the momentum into the Duleep Trophy and a two-match unofficial Test against Australia A, scoring a fifty and a stunning 150-run knock respectively.
The two-match series between India and the West Indies will commence from October 2 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The second Test is slated for October 10 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
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