Follow UsThe ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy has seen many batters and bowlers notch up superb performances in a bid to somehow get a look in for the Indian ODI side that will be picked for the upcoming Champions Trophy next month.
In that regard, Karun Nair is doing the heaviest and most consistent knocking on the selectors’ door with 664 runs in six innings at an average of 664! He has been dismissed only once in those six innings and has smashed the ball at a strike rate of 120, showing that he’s bossing the domestic circuit, including five centuries.
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Although the Indian men’s team looks quite set for the Champions Trophy, considering they hardly played a significant amount of ODI cricket after the 2023 World Cup. Hence, most players in the final 15 would be the ones who were also part of the 2023 campaign.
This strategy doesn’t seem to sit right with former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who took to his YouTube channel to question the different selection rules for different players. He also took a dig at Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma playing domestic cricket to get back in form and questioned if domestic cricket is being held in high esteem for such players and why performances at this level (like Nair’s, for instance) are being ignored.
“Many are selected on the basis of just two games; some are just selected on the basis of the IPL. So, why are rules different for him?” the Turbanator asked.
“People say Rohit and Virat are out of form, and you’re sending them to Ranji. But those who are playing Ranji and scoring runs… why are you ignoring them? When will these guys play? They are scoring runs here,”
“I’m looking at his [Karun Nair’s] stats. In 2024/25, he played six innings, remained not out in 5, scoring 664, and that was his average. And he’s played at a strike rate of 120. And they don’t pick him. It’s unfair.”
Notably, Nair has had a tragic history with the Indian team in the past as well, where he was dropped even after scoring a triple century.
“I never understood how he was dropped after a triple century. It pains me that no one talks about players like him,” Harbhajan said.