Virat Kohli's Ex-Teammate Sheds Light on Karun Nair's India Exile, Highlights R Ashwin's WTC Final Snubs

Karun Nair, a popular name among Indian cricket fans, has remained a subject of bewilderment for his fans, who cannot seem to comprehend why the talented batter was never given a fair chance to establish his international career. However, recent reports suggest that the 33-year-old has caught the attention of selectors once again, following his remarkable performance in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. Nair has amassed a whopping 664 runs, leaving the selectors impressed with his exceptional skills on the field.

Nair smacked four consecutive tons to take Vidarbha to the semi-finals. Nair made his India debut in 2016, after impressing in the domestic circuit. In his short international career, he smacked a triple ton in his third Test vs England, which was also his maiden hundred. But then after only six Tests, he was dropped, with his last outing coming in 2017 vs Australia.

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Commenting on Abhimanyu Easwaran not getting a chance to play at the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy, former India cricketer Robin Uthappa slammed the selection committee in the country, and also compared it to Nair’s dropping.

Selection politics behind Karun Nair's mystery India exile

Speaking to Lallantop, he said, “If you are not going to let him play, then why are you promising him. Just tell him that you don’t believe that he can succeed in international cricket, just play and score runs in domestic cricket. If you are giving him a chance, and this has happened with so many players, Karun Nair, he was removed from the team after his 300 and only two Test matches.”

“It is a shocker because of our cricket ecosystem.”

Giving a sneak-peek into the selection politics within the Indian cricket team, Uthappa also used the example of R Ashwin. “In selection, there are preferences. When I play, I think for India. For example, the two WTC finals. The first one you dropped Ashwin, because of him you reached the WTC Final, and you said that it is due to the green top, which is understandable, and you will use three pacers and a spinner. Then why aren’t you using the world’s best spinner, it is not like he can’t bat. He can take wickets in that pitch too, in grass or marble pitches too. He is an innovative thinker and is a leader. Then in the next WTC Final at Oval, you didn’t use him. How did you reach the final, Ashwin took the wickets in India. Oval is the kind of track where ball spins a lot after the third day. Shardul Thakur played in that Test match as a replacement for Ashwin. It is not based on merit,” he said.

“Cultural politics is to blame. If you look at our country, in south, there can be 4-5 different countries, because we are so culturally diverse.

“Three-four countries get a lot of backing. It was Karnataka till a certain point. Mumbai lobby, Delhi lobby, Gujarat lobby, Punjab,” he added.

Nair’s scores in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy are 112*, 44*, 163*, 111*, 112*, 122*. It is also the most runs scored by a batter in the history of List A cricket without losing his wicket.

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