“Dear Cricket, give me another chance,” read a post on Karun Nair‘s X account (formerly Twitter) on December 10, 2022, as the India batter expressed his desperation to don the coveted Indian jersey once again. Fast forward to 2025, Karun Nair has deservedly earned his place back in the Indian team, having been picked in the squad for the England tour on the back of some stupendous performances in domestic cricket.
The 33-year-old further cemented his place in the playing XI by scoring a sensational double hundred in the tour game. With that, the stage looked set for the return of the prodigal son of Indian cricket, as he embarked on a new chapter of his international career.It was a true Cinderella story when
Karun Nair reaped the rewards for his consistency on the domestic circuit and was handed a chance to return to the Indian Test team after a gap of 3006 days. That time period seems like a lifetime in cricket — you may be a star one day and then completely forgotten the next. But Karun Nair’s ‘s comeback had merit.
He played a pivotal role in Vidarbha’s triumph in the 2024–25 Ranji Trophy, finishing as the fourth-highest run-getter of the season. He scored 863 runs from 16 innings at an average of 53.93, including four centuries and two fifties. Then came the exploits in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which were just surreal — 779 runs from eight innings at a staggering average of 389.50 and a strike rate of 124.04, featuring five hundreds and a fifty.
He wasn’t just knocking on the door, he was breaking it down. The IPL came around, and we all remember how he was able to rile up the great Jasprit Bumrah, whom he rushed to hug after his five-wicket haul at Lord’s. When he reached the England shores, Karun Nair made an instant impact, scoring a double hundred against the England Lions and pushing his case. Then came the reward. Cricket gave him the chance, and the world rejoiced. But the story is currently playing out in a very different fashion.
LBW of Karun Nair changed the game for India- Ajinkya Rahane
It turned out to be a heartbreaking end for India in a thrilling five-day Test match against England at Lords as the visitors ended up losing the game by 22 runs on day 5. Chasing a target of 193 runs, while bowled out for 170 runs with Ravindra Jadeja coming out as a lone warrior with his unbeaten 61*(181) runs. However, veteran India batter Ajinkya Rahane feels that Karun Nair’s dismissal on day four turned out to be a game changing point which made England win the match.
After bowling England out for 192 runs during third session on day four, India came to bat with a few overs remaining on the day. After early dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul and Karun Nair took the innings further and were aiming to end the day without losing any more wicket. However, as India were 41/1, Nair fell in the trap of Brydon Carse and got LBW out. After that, India went on to lose quick wickets of skipper Shubman Gill followed by night watchman Akash Deep as India were 58/4 while chasing 193 after the end of day four.
Karun Nair was dismissed on 14 runs when he shouldered arms to an incoming delivery from Brydon Carse. Umpire Paul Rieffel gave him out and the batter did not review the decision , thereby putting the visitors under early pressure in their chase of 193 runs. Ajinkya Rahane speaking on his Youtube channel said :
“At that point in time, India were cruising. 40-odd for one, but lbw of Karun Nair that changed the game for India and England. I thought England came back in the game really well and after that, they started bowling well, their intensity on the field, their fielders, the character which they showed was amazing.”
Losing early wickets by the end of day four went on to affect India as the visitors couldn’t get a big partnership on day five and went on to lose wickets at regular intervals. Early on the day, India lost Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul respectively in the first hour. After that, Ravindra Jadeja kept fighting from one end but couldn’t get much support by other batter.
While India were nine down, Mohammed Siraj was taking the innings further but his unfortunate dismissal against Shoaib Bashir ended India’s innings as England scripted a memorable win at Lords to go 2-1 in a five-match series.
“That’s what you want to see in Test cricket, all the 11 fielders coming together and looking to win the Test match. It was so good to see their attitude and character on the field, even though India fought back really well but credit goes to England, the way they came back in the game and won the Test match.” he concluded
With India set to play the final Test of the series at Old Trafford from July 23, the team management now faces a crucial decision: stick with the experienced Nair or give a longer run to the 21-year-old Sai Sudharsan, who looked composed in his debut Test at Leeds.The indications are clear: patience with Nair is wearing thin, and with young talent knocking on the door, his brief return to the Indian Test team could already be nearing its end. Whether the selectors give him one last chance at Old Trafford remains to be seen.
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