Indian cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra has shared his views on Karun Nair's omission from India's ODI squads for the upcoming home series against England and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which might not sit well with many.
Karun Nair impressed everyone with his incredible performances in the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 where he finished as the highest run scorer with 779 runs with the help of five hundreds in just eight innings at an overwhelming average of 389.50 and a strike rate of 124.
After his record-breaking performance in the 50-over tour, many have been calling for his return to India for the upcoming three-match ODI series and ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Unfortunately, the Indian selectors have ignored the Vidarbha captain for the India regulars.
Aakash Chopra defends Indian selectors' decision to skip Karun Nair for ICC Champions Trophy 2025
The BCCI and Indian selectors' decision to ignore Karun Nair for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has been criticized by many former cricketers and fans, but Aakash Chopra felt it was a fair call to invite more criticism. The commentator believes that the selectors did not make incorrect decisions.
Aakash Chopra said Karun Nair's 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign was outstanding but it will not be fair to others to be overlooked for a player based on a strong showing in one tournament for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
In a video posted on his YouTube channel, the cricket pundit explained why Nair failed to replace established players like KL Rahul and Shubman Gill in the 15-member squad for the upcoming assignments. Defending the national selectors' decision, Chopra stressed that consistent performances are crucial for India's selection, not just one tournament.
How can anyone be elected on the basis of a Vijay Hazare performance? – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra said in his YouTube video, “There is a crusade going on that Karun Nair should have been in the team. Because he scored so many points, he said he's not knocking on the door, he's just knocking it down. I saw somewhere that it was said that KL Rahul should be brought down. He has an average of 58 at no. 4 and 5. He played well in the World Cup.”
The former Indian batsman further explained, “Someone said that Shubman Gill should be dropped. It's a joke that someone who sang constantly should be kicked out and someone else should be brought in. Karun Nair's one year performance Vijay Hazare has been outstanding. Such performances should definitely be noticed, but are you going to pick someone based on a Vijay Hazare performance? Will it be fair since it's only one tournament?”
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Aakash Chopra highlights Karun Nair's numbers in the last two seasons of the Vijay Hazare Trophy to prove his point
Justifying the selectors' call, Chopra highlighted Nair's numbers in the last two seasons of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he could only manage 230 runs at an average of 46 in the last season and was dropped by Karnataka in the previous season.
It ended by saying, “He almost quit cricket but the family asked him to play by going somewhere else and finding pastures new.” Notably, Nair last played for India in 2017 and has played only two ODIs so far, scoring 46 runs at an average of 23.00.