Former Indian cricketer Surinder Khanna did not hold back in his criticism of the selectors' decision to ignore Karun Nair for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 despite his superb form with the bat in the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25.
Karun Nair scored 779 runs in just seven matches with the help of five hundreds at an incredible average of 389.5 and remained unbeaten in six consecutive innings in the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25. His incredible batting performance has created a lot of popularity among cricket pundits.
Surinder Khanna slams Indian selectors for ignoring Karun Nair despite his phenomenal performance in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25
Many former cricketers said this was Nair's time to make a long-awaited return to the international stage after almost a decade, but the Indian selectors left him heartbroken again, dropping the Vidarbha captain for both the ODIs England as well as for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
Expressing his frustrations over Karun Nair's refusal, Surinder Khanna questioned the decision to overlook the 33-year-old batsman for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. He pointed out that Nair deserves to be picked in the CT 2025 squad .
The former Indian cricketer also noted that the Indian cricket team needs younger and sharper players for the fast-paced demands of the ODI format, targeting Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja.
I think Karun Nair is a bit unlucky: Surinder Khanna
Surinder Khanna was quoted by ANI as saying, “I think Karun Nair is a bit unlucky. I'd like to be chairman of selectors. He hit 300 in the test match and after that he disappeared. Now suddenly the moon is out again so that moon should shine for 2-3 years and how many 35-36 year olds can you have on your team? It is a one-day format; you need quick movement down the field.”
Meanwhile, Surinder Khanna did not hold back in his harsh criticism of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He criticized the game of Rohit Sharma, saying that if the Indian skipper is stationed on the boundary, the opposition can easily steal the runs.
Khanna also pointed out that Virat Kohli's appearance in the slips and inside the circle is no longer effective, which is affecting the overall performance of the Indian team. However, Kohli is one of the best players in the world.
Captain is also weak: Surinder Khanna on Rohit Sharma
Khanna also said, “And the captain is weak. I mean if you field Rohit Sharma on the boundary then two runs will be taken easily. Virat Kohli also fields in the slips and only fields inside the circle. Kohli doesn't make runs on the field; he puts in a lot of effort in the circle. I hope they all get mentally fit and focus and get back to form.”
However, the former cricketer welcomed the national selectors' decision to name Shubman Gill as India's vice-captain for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, saying it was a very good and positive development. He signed off saying Gill has shown promise but stressed the youngster needs to find his form with the bat and that is the main thing for him and the team.