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"Deserved More Than One Series" - Karun Nair Blasts Ajit Agarkar
Follow UsBack with Karnataka in domestic cricket, Nair has started the Ranji Trophy 2025–26 season on a strong note
Karun Nair believes he “deserved more than one series” after being dropped from the Indian Test squad following a modest outing in his comeback series against England. The 33-year-old, who returned to the Test fold after eight years, struggled to make a significant impact despite getting promising starts throughout the series.
The right-hander accumulated 205 runs at an average of 25.62 across eight innings, managing just one fifty in a high-scoring contest that produced over 7,000 runs, 21 centuries, and 29 half-centuries across five matches. While Nair showed glimpses of form, he couldn’t convert his starts into the kind of big scores expected at the international level.
India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar said that the team management “expected a little bit more” from Nair during the England tour, leading to his omission for the Test series against West Indies.
“It’s quite disappointing [being dropped], but I know that I deserve to be there after the last two years [of domestic cricket] I’ve had. People might have their own opinions, but personally, my opinion is that I deserve a lot better,” said Nair, as quoted by The Times of India.
“All I can do is keep scoring runs, that’s my job. There’s nothing much for me to say. I just keep telling myself that I deserve more than a series. That’s all I can tell myself, and not let that get into my head. All I want to do is to play for the country. That’s the only target. If you’re not able to do that, the next thing would be to try and win games for the side I'm playing for.”
Back with Karnataka in domestic cricket, Nair has started the Ranji Trophy 2025–26 season on a strong note. After scores of 73 and 8 against Saurashtra, he made a bold statement in the ongoing match against Goa, smashing an unbeaten 174 off 267 deliveries. It was a standout innings, especially considering that none of the other top-five batters managed to cross 30 - three of them even falling for single-digit scores.
“There are certain goals that I’ve set for myself, which I wouldn’t want to talk about. But other than that, the primary goal would be to win games for the team,” added Nair.
India are set to host South Africa for a two-Test series in November, and if Nair continues his red-hot form, the veteran batter could possibly force his way back into the national setup once again.