Karun Nair Earns Spot After Stellar Domestic Season
India head coach Gautam Gambhir has expressed strong support for Karun Nair, who earned a well-deserved recall to the Indian Test squad for the England tour 2025. Nair’s consistent performances in domestic cricket, especially with Vidarbha during the Ranji Trophy 2024–25, have impressed selectors and cricket fans alike.
Gambhir, speaking at the pre-departure press conference, said,
“𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒅𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕. 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒅𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅.”
Nair, who last played a Test in 2017, showcased his form by scoring 204 runs in an India A vs England Lions unofficial Test, proving his adaptability to English conditions.
Nair’s Record-Breaking Domestic Performances
Ranji Trophy & Vijay Hazare Dominance
Nair amassed 863 runs in the Ranji Trophy, including four centuries, with an average of 53.93. He played a pivotal role in Vidarbha’s championship win, scoring 135 in the final. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025, he was the top scorer with 779 runs at an average of 389.50, including five centuries.
T20 Brilliance in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy
In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Nair maintained his dominance in the shorter format with 255 runs in six innings, striking at 177.08.
Gambhir’s Message: Patience with Returning Players
Gambhir highlighted the need for a fair run:
“𝑾𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒅𝒈𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒃𝒚 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔. 𝑰𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚’𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒑𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒅𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕.”
He also praised Nair’s County cricket experience in England, citing it as valuable for the upcoming India vs England Test series 2025.
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