New Delhi: Once struggling to find a team with his career going downhill, Karun Nair has sparked an incredible turnaround as his sensational run in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy has brought the experienced middle-order batter back into the fray for a much-awaited India comeback. Not too long back, Nair was headed into oblivion staring at a heartbreaking end of his cricketing career.
“Dear cricket, give me one more chance,” Nair tweeted on X in December 2022 as he sought a shot at redemption. And when it came his way, the 33-year-old made sure he gave it his all with an incredible batting performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Nair is currently the highest run-getter in the premier 50-over domestic competition with an impressive 664 runs at a stunning average of 664.
Nair has been piling on runs at an incredible consistency in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and is currently the leading run-getter of the tournament with 664 runs after six innings at a strike rate of over 120. Nair has five centuries in those six innings and he is yet to be dismissed in the current edition of the tournament as he continues to enjoy a stellar run.
His sensational heroics in the Vijay Hazare Trophy have forced the Ajit Agarkar-led senior Indian national selection panel to take notice of the middle-order batter’s current form. As per a report in the Indian Express, the selectors are watching Nair with keen interest as India enters a transition phase in Tests with questions over the future of senior batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Dropped from Test team after smashing a triple century
Nair’s case has been an interesting one as the middle-order batter was once regarded the future of the Indian Test team. He is one of the only two Indian batters with a triple ton in the longest format. However, Nair failed to cement his spot in the Test side even after smashing a 303-run knock against England in the Chennai Test in December 2016.
Nair was dropped from the Indian team soon after his triple ton as he failed in his next few matches. Nair has played only six Tests for India and has 374 runs to his name. After not being in the reckoning for as many as 8 years, he is back in the fray for a comeback in the Test squad owing to his impressive show in the domestic circuit.
His 664 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025 is the most by any batter without getting dismissed in List A cricket. He is also only the second Indian to score five centuries in a single edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy after Tamil Nadu’s Narayan Jagadeesan. Nair is one of the only three batters to have scored four consecutive tons in List A cricket.
It has been a remarkable turnaround for the middle-order batter but it remains to be seen if he will given another chance with a recall in the Indian Test squad later this year. India’s next Test assignment will be a tour to England which will get underway in June this year. Nair might be added to the squad amid doubts over the credentials of the senior batters in the longest format.
Karun Nair has forced his way back into the limelight and is in the selection fray once again after his sensational run for Vidarbha in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025. Nair has hammered 664 runs at an average of 664 with 5 centuries in the tournament so far. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
