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Former Indian cricketer Surinder Khanna did not hold back in his criticism of the selectors’ decision to ignore Karun Nair for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, despite his extraordinary form with the bat in the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024 -25.
Karun Nair made 779 runs in just seven matches with the help of five hundreds at an incredible average of 389.5, and remained unbeaten in six consecutive innings in the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25. His incredible batting performance created a huge buzz among cricket pundits.
Surinder Khanna slams Indian selectors for ignoring Karun Nair despite phenomenal performance in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25
Many former cricketers said this was Nair’s time to make a long-awaited return to the international scene after almost a decade, but the Indian selectors left him heartbroken yet again, excluding the Vidarbha captain both for the England ODIs as well as the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
Expressing his frustrations over Karun Nair’s disagreement, Surinder Khanna questioned the decision to overlook the 33-year-old batsman for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. He emphasized that Nair deserved to be picked in the CT 2025 squad.
The former Indian cricketer also pointed out that the Indian cricket team needs younger and more agile players for the fast-paced demands of the ODI format, targeting Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja.
I think Karun Nair is a bit unlucky – Surinder Khanna
Surinder Khanna was quoted by ANI as saying, “I think Karun Nair is unlucky. I would like to be the chairman of selectors. He got to 300 in the Test match, and then he disappeared. Now suddenly the moon is back to come out, so the moon should shine for 2-3 years, and how many 35-36-year-olds can you have in the team? It’s a one-day format; you need quick movements on the field”.
Meanwhile, Surinder Khanna did not hold back in his harsh criticism of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He criticized Rohit Sharma’s fielding, saying that if the Indian skipper is stationed on the boundary, the opposition can easily steal runs.
Khanna also pointed out that Virat Kohli’s routing in the slips and inside the circle is no longer effective, which affects the overall performance of the Indian team. However, Kohli is one of the best fielders in the world.
Captain is also weak – Surinder Khanna over Rohit Sharma
Khanna further noted, “Captain is also weak. I mean, if you field Rohit Sharma on the boundary, two runs are easily scored. Virat Kohli also fields at slips and only fields inside the circle. Kohli is not making runs on the field; he’s putting in a lot of effort in the circle. I hope they all get in shape mentally and get back to form.”
However, the former cricketer praised the national selectors’ decision to name Shubman Gill as India’s vice-captain for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, saying it is a very good and positive development. He concluded by saying that Gill has shown promise, but stressed that the youngster needs to find his form with the bat, and that is the most important thing for him and the team.
