The Indian squad for the upcoming two-match home Test series against West Indies from October 2 was announced earlier today. Notably, Karun Nair, who made a comeback to the national team after eight years during the England Test series earlier in May, have been left out of the side that will host the Windies.
After piling up runs in domestic cricket, Nair made his India return but wasn’t exactly impressive. The 33-year-old could manage only 205 runs in four Tests in England at an average of 25.62.
Although he managed to score a half-century in his last Test at The Oval, chief selector Ajit Agarkar revealed that the management expected more from the middle-order batter. It can thus be presumed as the end of the road for the batting veteran in national colours.
Speaking at the press conference for India’s squad announcement, Agarkar said justifying Karun’s exclusion,
“We had expected more from Karun Nair. It can’t just be about one innings. Devdutt Padikkal offers more. We would like to give 15-20 chances to everyone, but it’s not possible in these circumstances.”
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Karnataka’s Devdutt Padikkal, who has played two Tests so far, has earned a recall after missing a chance for selection during the England series due to injury. He made his debut during the England tour of India in early 2024 and scored a fifty in his maiden outing. He got another chance during the Border Gavaskar Trohpy in November last year but could manage scores of 0 and 25.
However, he has been in a purple patch of late and has been rewarded with a spot in the Test side. After a decent IPL 2025, the youngster emerged as the top run-scorer of the Maharaja T20 trophy with 449 runs in 12 matches, averaging 40.82, at a strike rate of 154.83.
In red ball cricket too, he has looked in good touch. He hit a fifty in the Duleep Trophy semifinal playing for the South Zone and then continued his impressive form in first of the two unofficial Tests against Australia A, registering a stellar 150.
With Sai Sudharsan ideally expected to continue at the No.3 spot, Padikkal is likely to be slotted in the No.5 or No.6 position where Karun Nair played against England.
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