Karun Nair Case: Is Dometic Cricket Performance Matter?
Karun Nair’s story will go down as one of the most unlucky cricketers to ever play the game. One of the stylish and free-flowing batters, Karun Nair, came as a replacement after having a decent run in first-class cricket that resulted in the call-up to the Indian squad for Ajinkya Rahane due to an injury.
Karun Nair played a total of 6 tests and 7 innings and scored 374 runs at an average of 62.33. After the toiling triple century, Karun Nair faded into oblivion when he got dropped after the comeback of Rahane in the team after the home Border-Gavakar Trophy 2017. Since then Karun never made his way to the team again. Coming on the brisk of a good domestic season, Nair debuted in a test against England in 2016. In his second match, he became the second Indian to score a triple hundred.
Such innings could have given any player a longer run in the team unfortunately, Karun Nair didn’t get a string of opportunities. His strokeplay and shot selection were a treat to watch. Karun has also played for several IPL franchises, but he found it hard to adapt to the shorter format of the game. The 33-year-old has also had decent numbers in the 76 matches of the IPL so far.
Karun Nair’s Exceptional Run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy
At the age of 33, Karun Nair seems to be playing the finest cricket of his life. In the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024/25 season, Nair has been phenomenal and seems to have reinvented himself. In the 8 innings from 9 matches, Nair had five blistering centuries to his name and scored 779 runs with an impeccable average of 389.50 also having a strike rate of 124 including 93 fours and 16 sixes. With the help of his incredible batting performances and captaincy geniuses, which also helped Vidarbha to win all 8 games till the semi-final, losing only one game to Karnataka in the final.
| Vs | Runs | Balls | SR | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jammu and Kashmir | 112* | 108 | 103.7 | 17 | – |
| Chhattisgarh | 44* | 52 | 84.62 | 5 | 1 |
| Chandigarh | 163* | 107 | 152.34 | 20 | 2 |
| Tamil Nadu | 111* | 103 | 107.77 | 14 | 1 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 112 | 101 | 110.89 | 11 | 2 |
| Mizoram | DNB | DNB | DNB | DNB | DNB |
| Rajasthan | 122* | 82 | 148.78 | 13 | 5 |
| Maharashtra | 88* | 44 | 200 | 9 | 5 |
| Karnataka | 27 | 31 | 87.1 | 4 | 0 |
Selection Delimma after a Dominating Form
Such performances are likely to draw the selector’s attention. Nair would want another stint as an Indian player. His temperament, patience, and skills make him suitable for playing at the highest level. But the question remains, Can he make a comeback in the Indian team again?
The chances already looked bleak with India’s stacked lineup at the moment. T20 cricket is already filled with some great hitters and ideally suited players for the format, while ODI is most likely to remain the same in the middle order with Shreyas, Rahul, and Pant gaining the upper hand. The only format left is test cricket, which suits Nair the most, however, it looks difficult for Karun to fix his spot even into the test squad. The selectors are looking at the future, who could serve for at least a decade, which could be the main factor affecting him in his selection.
In the recent press conference during the squad’s reveal for both the England ODI series and Champions Trophy 2025. It felt like selectors at least could have given him a chance in the England ODI series, and the only way Karun could make it into the Indian setup was to continue that kind of form in the ongoing Ranji Season.
But as they say, never say never, Nair would keep trying to make the selectors look at him and give him a chance to replicate his heroics again. It will be interesting to see what time holds for him and his future.
