He said the batter received enough chances but failed to take advantage.
Karun Nair returned to Test cricket after eight years during the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, but things did not go well for him. Featuring in four out of five matches, the right-hander managed only 205 runs from eight innings, averaging 25.62 with just one half-century and no standout performance.
Former India player Irfan Pathan, speaking on his YouTube channel, rated the performance of Karun Nair 4/10. He said that Karun received enough chances but failed to take advantage.
“Karun Nair gets four out of ten. Why? He didn’t look particularly poor throughout the series. He kept getting starts consistently but managed only one half-century. Karun got plenty of opportunities,” Irfan Pathan said.
One of the most disappointing moments, according to Pathan, came during the Lord’s Test. India were chasing 193, and after Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed early, Karun came in at number 3. He was looking settled and built a promising partnership with KL Rahul, but a poor decision to leave an incoming delivery led to an LBW dismissal. That moment triggered a collapse, and although Ravindra Jadeja and the lower order fought hard, India lost the match by 22 runs.
“Cricket definitely gave him a second chance, but he couldn’t capitalise on it the way he should have. Especially in the Lord’s Test, he had a real chance to win the match for India but couldn’t do it,” he added.
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Pathan observed that Karun often got in, played a few good shots, and then threw his wicket away with careless decisions. In the final Test at The Oval, he scored a fifty in the first innings but failed to capitalise in the second, falling for 17. Against bouncers, especially in that match, he looked uncomfortable and lacked confidence.
“Other than that, it often seemed like he was playing well, building up nicely, and then suddenly, he’d play a loose shot and get out. At the Oval, when the bouncer was used against him, he looked a bit shaken and seemed more unsettled and uncomfortable. So, he gets four points,” he concluded.
Former India all-rounder summed it up by saying the comeback was a missed opportunity and that stronger temperament and shot selection were needed at the highest level.
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