Follow UsOn September 25 (Thursday), Team India announced the squad for the two-Test series against West Indies starting next week, and there was a major omission in the form of Karun Nair.
The veteran batter had made his return to the Test side in the five-match series against England, but he could only average 25.62 in the series, passing the 50-run mark just once. That fifty came in the final Test at The Oval, but his inability to convert scores saw him pay the price.
In a way, the axing was not too surprising, but hours after the announcement, a shocked Nair spoke about how he was left stunned by the non-selection, as he was expecting to get picked.
"Yes, I did expect the selection. I don't know what to say. No words. I don't have many comments to make. It's very difficult for me to answer," Nair told the Times of India, reported News18.
Nair pointed out how the 57 he scored in the final Test was extra valuable because of the circumstances under which it came. India got bowled out for 224, and Nair was the only visiting batter who posted a fifty. In fact, Sai Sudharsan was the only other batter in that innings to score more than 30.
"You should probably ask the selectors what they are thinking. The only thing is, in the last Test match, I scored a fifty when no one else managed in the first innings. So, yeah, I thought I contributed to the team, especially in the last game that we won. But, yeah, it is what it is. Those things don't matter," he said.
When asked about Nair’s omission, chief selector Ajit Agarkar said that the management expected ‘more’ from the veteran batter.
"Frankly, we expected a little more from Karun. He played four Tests, and you spoke about one innings. That's the way it is. We feel Padikkal offers a little more at this point. Wish we could give everyone 15-20 Tests."
Nair will now hope to go big once again in the 2025/26 domestic season, where he'll be representing Karnataka, returning to his home state after a very successful stint with Vidarbha.