The man has set the mound afire in the Vijay Hazare Trophy underway for Vidarbha. The 33-year-old right-handed batsman has collated a whopping 752 runs in seven innings of the eight matches played till now; he has been out once so far. His average in this tournament of 752.00 has turned speculation rife regarding his selection in the India Champions Trophy 2025 squad, which BCCI selectors are expected to announce sometime this week.
Former Indian wicketkeeper Karthik knows the former international Test and ODI player is unlikely to be selected in the team. Karthik, who was part of the MS Dhoni-led side that lifted the trophy in 2013, has explained why Nair won’t be considered for the eight-team tournament irrespective of how fiery his form is.
Karthik’s statement during the HeyCBwithDK show was, “What Karun Nair has done has been remarkable; he has been firing all over the park. You have got Mayank in his own element at the same time. But the beauty of it is that it’s come at a time when India’s ODI setup is almost getting into a process of stabilization. I wouldn’t speak of any big changes.”
“True, it’s very tempting to bring a Karun Nair into the fold, and I think he has indeed earned the right to be part of the talks. But I don’t think he will get into the 25-member squad for Champions Trophy 25. But if he continues in this fashion, then why not? A player who is consistently making runs and can bat against both pace and spin tends to be a match-winner; I’m happy for him,” he concluded.
While Karthik has ruled out Nair’s selection in India’s white-ball side after nine years for the next two series, he is confident that young opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal will be chosen for three ODIs against England as well as the Champions Trophy.
“He’s been rested (for the England T20Is). It has been a long tour of Australia, really draining for a young boy like that. He needs a break. Playing a 5-match series, a Test series is no joke. I think they have done right. 100 percent he is going to be in the ODIs against England and the Champions Trophy, no worries. He is really batting well. This 5 T20s won’t be any change for him.”
The highest-ranked batter in Tests for India, though, is still awaiting his first ODI call from India.
