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The recent announcement of India’s squad for the next Champions Trophy 2025 has sparked debates, especially about the exclusion of Karun Nair. Despite being in sensational form during the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25Nair’s name was missing from the squad. Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has now shared his thoughts on why the talented batsman failed to make the cut, even after his stellar performance.
Karun Nair’s impressive performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy
Nair has been nothing short of outstanding during the Vijay Hazare Trophy where he showed remarkable consistency with the bat. Representing Vidarbha, Nair amassed an astonishing 779 runs in just eight matches, including five centuries. His prolific scoring earned him the top spot in the tournament run charts, and despite Vidarbha’s defeat against Mayank Agarwal-led Karnataka in the final, was named Player of the Series. His performance raised eyebrows and sparked talks about his possible inclusion in India’s Champions Trophy squad.
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Sunil Gavaskar explains the reason behind Karun Nair’s exclusion
Despite Nair’s undeniable performance, his name was notably absent from the Indian squad for the Champions Trophy 2025. Gavaskar, a cricketing legend, gave his take on the selection decision. He explained that Nair’s exclusion stemmed from considerations of team balance and players’ roles. Gavaskar emphasized that these two players in the squad already had well-established roles, and their strong performances in recent tournaments made it difficult to accommodate Nair in the squad.
“Where should they fit it? You could have taken the place of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. KL will play the role of second wicketkeeper-batsman for this team, and his performance during the 2023 World Cup was good. I don’t think the Indian cricket team played much ODI cricket after that. Shreyas Iyer has also performed well in the format. That is why Karun Nair has not been picked,” the former Indian captain told SportsTak (via Inside Sports)
