Karun Nair's exclusion from India's ODI squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against England and ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has sparked intense debate among cricket fans on social media. Now, Indian chief selector Ajit Agarkar has addressed Nair's exclusion from the India team.
Ajit Agarkar hailed Karun Nair's exceptional form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 where he put up one of the best performances the 50-over tournament has ever witnessed. However, Nair's record was not enough as the Indian chief selector simply said that they could not fit the 33-year-old batsman in the current line-up.
The former Indian pacer highlighted the fierce competition within the Indian team as he discussed the non-selection of one of the consistent performers, Nair. However, Ajit Agarkar called Karun Nair's performance in the ongoing 50-over tournament as the right-handed batsman has been in red-hot form with the bat.
The right-handed batsman has so far amassed over 750 amazing runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25. His scores were: 112*(108), 44*(52), 163*(107), 111*(103), 112*(101), 122*(82) and 88*(44), giving him highlights consistency.
However, with only 15 spots to fill in the squad, Ajit Agarkar said that it was extremely difficult for the Indian selectors to find the Vidarbha captain in the ODI squad despite his heroic efforts in the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy.
We Can't Fit Everyone: Ajit Agarkar on Karun Nair's Bed
Ajit Agarkar told reporters at the press conference, “To average over 750 is just crazy. Performances like his don't happen often. However, with only 15 places available, we cannot accommodate everyone.”
However, the Indian chief selector revealed that Karun Nair remains on their radar and could be called upon should injuries occur during the tour. Agarkar concluded by saying, “He's got our attention. There will be discussions around him if someone is injured and there is a place that comes up in the team.”
Earlier, even cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar hailed Karun Nair's phenomenal performance in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25. The Master Blaster suggested Nair to keep going strong and make every opportunity count so that he can retain his place in the Indian cricket team.
Sachin Tendulkar posted on X: “Scoring 752 runs in 7 innings with 5 centuries is nothing short of amazing @karun126. Shows like these don't just happen; they come from immense concentration and hard work. Keep going strong and make every opportunity count!”
To score 752 runs in 7 innings with 5 centuries is nothing short of extraordinary, @karun126. Performances like these don't just happen, they come from immense focus and hard work. Keep going strong and make every opportunity count!
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) January 17, 2025
Remarkably, Nair has so far represented India in 6 Tests and 2 ODIs and scored 374 and 64 runs respectively before being completely overlooked by the national selectors. His last appearance for India came against Australia in the Dharamshala Test in 2017.
Since then, he has been steadily picking up runs in domestic cricket, but has not impressed the selectors enough to return to the Indian team. He so far has 7637 runs in 109 first-class matches and 3101 runs in 106 List A matches to his name. Nair also scored 3462 runs in 163 T20 matches.