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Ajit Agarkar puts a full stop on Karun Nair's Test career: ‘Can't be just one innings in four Tests in England'
Karun Nair's Test career seems to have ended quietly as he was dropped from India's squad for the West Indies series.
Karun Nair wanted cricket to give him a second chance. He got one (four to be exact) in England but wasn't quite able to capitalise on it. Eight years after scripting one of Indian cricket’s most memorable comebacks, Karun Nair's Test career appears to have come to a quiet end. The 33-year-old was dropped from India's squad for the upcoming two-match home Test series against West Indies, with Devdutt Padikkal named as his replacement.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar confirmed the decision, stating that the Indian team management expected more from the veteran right-hander, who got opportunities at No.3 and No.6.
“We expected more from Karun Nair in England. It cannot be about just one innings. Devdutt Padikkal offers more options to us. We want to give at least 15-20 chances to every player but it is not possible every time.”
The statement all but confirmed what many feared — India may have moved on from the stylish Karnataka batter who once held the promise of a long career.
Padikkal recently scored a 150 against Australia A, which pushed his return to the squad.
“I mean, he was in the test squad in Australia, played in the Dharamsala against England, got a 50 there. So, he's shown some decent form with India. Yeah, frankly, we expected a bit more from Karun on the England trip there,” Agarkar said.
A Short-Lived Redemption
Nair had fought his way back into the Test squad earlier this year on the back of a record-breaking Ranji Trophy season, followed by a double century for India A ahead of the England Test series. His return was seen as a redemptive arc — a second chance to rebuild a career that had stalled after his iconic triple-century against England in 2016.
But in the three Tests he played in England this summer, Nair could only manage 131 runs in six innings at an average of 21.83, failing to reach even a half-century. India dropped him for the fourth Test in Manchester, preferring Sai Sudharsan, who had earlier been benched after the series opener.
Karun was given another chance in the fifth and final Test at The Oval when Rishabh Pant was injured. He finally managed to score a half-century in difficult conditions, helping India post a respectable score in the first innings but it was not enough to save his spot in the Test squad.
Reflecting on Nair’s exit, former India cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar said,
“It was an emotional story where he said, 'Cricket, give me another chance'. Cricket gave him another chance. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to catch it.”
The Final Curtain?
Karun Nair’s Test career may now be over, ending with six matches, 420 runs, and a staggering 303 as his highest score* — making him only the second Indian after Virender Sehwag to score a triple century in Test cricket.
Yet, that magical knock in Chennai remains both his biggest achievement and the weight he could never quite live up to again. With younger talents like Padikkal, Sudharsan, and Yashasvi Jaiswal emerging, and opportunities increasingly rare, Nair's journey with the Indian Test team appears to have reached its conclusion.
