He managed just 205 runs in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025.
Cricket gave a second chance to Karun Nair during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 after nearly an eight-year hiatus. But the right-handed batter couldn’t make the most of it, managing just 205 runs in four Tests. Nair’s selection has come under scrutiny for the upcoming two Tests against the West Indies at home, starting October 2.
The Karnataka batter will face competition from several players, including in-form Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Sai Sudharsan for the No.3 and No.5 positions. The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee is expected to announce India’s 15-member Test squad on September 24.
Nair came into India’s Test side on the back of a stupendous 2024-25 domestic season across formats. He bolstered his case for the playing XI with a stunning double century in the first unofficial Test against England Lions. But the 33-year-old failed to replicate a similar performance in the senior team. He managed runs at 25.62 in the five-Test series, which saw over 7,000 runs being scored, including 21 hundreds and 29 fifties between the two teams.
The Karnataka batter had raised hopes for continuation with a fifty in the first innings at The Oval, where other Indian batters struggled massively. Hence, despite an unimpressive England tour, Karun Nair deserves an opportunity in home conditions.
But a finger injury forced him to miss the latest KSCA Maharaja T20 League and the Duleep Trophy 2025. He was expected to participate in the ongoing unofficial Tests against Australia A, but was named fit only after the squad announcement. More recently, he is playing for KSCA Secretary’s XI in the Dr (Capt) K Thimmaiah Memorial Tournament 2025. Nair was dismissed by the Goa Cricket Association’s Koushik V for just three runs off 21 balls in the first innings. With a lack of valuable game time after injury return, Nair is likely to lose his spot in the Test squad.
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The series will also mark India’s first home Test after veterans Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravichandran Ashwin retired. The team might be tempted to play an extra all-rounder, especially with vice-captain Rishabh Pant also missing due to injury.
Since the start of the year, Devdutt Padikkal has been in tremendous form. Before an injury forced the left-hander to miss the knockout stages, he played an instrumental role in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) maiden IPL title triumph. He scored 247 runs in 10 matches at an impressive strike rate of 150.61.
The southpaw returned to competitive cricket in August, starring in the KSCA Maharaja T20 Trophy. He 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, scoring a half-century in his only outing. Padikkal pushed his case with a stunning 150-run knock for India A in Lucknow last week. In the process, he crossed 3,000 First-Class runs in 74 innings. He has now ticked all boxes to be India’s No.3 batter in Tests.
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