“Karun Nair not being there is a big step” - Ex-Indian cricketer opens up on India A squad for Australia A series

Former Indian cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra has opened up on Karun Nair’s omission from the India A squad for the forthcoming Australia A multi-day series, which is scheduled to start on Tuesday, September 16, in Lucknow.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra has stated that Karun Nair not being part of the squad is a big step. He also asserted that while he received a second chance, he couldn’t live up to expectations on the England tour recently.

"Karun Nair not being there is a big step. He asked cricket for a second chance, and it was given as well. I would say his performance was okay-okay. You can't say that he grabbed that chance with both hands, but you can't also say his performance was very ordinary either, that you should drop him suddenly," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

"He was moved up and down in the batting order, was sent at No. 3 and No. 6. Despite that, he scored a few runs, but got out in some places. I felt he would get a chance in the West Indies tour of India. Unfortunately, you might not see Karun Nair playing now," he added.

Furthermore, Chopra also talked about Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sai Sudharsan, who are expected to get their chances in the XI, but stressed that they need to score runs to be a part of the Indian squad in the longest format of the game.

"Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sai Sudharsan will get opportunities and both need to score runs. Since Sai Sudharsan is coming after playing in the current team, you feel he is slightly ahead in the race, but he is not that far ahead. Abhimanyu Easwaran is there, but he never gets a play, so that goes against him," he stated.

"However, the one thing that is in Abhimanyu Easwaran's favor is that the selectors have said they want to keep him for sure, as he is consistent. He is not someone who has been dropped even from India A. If he scores runs here, he could run ahead of Sai Sudharsan. It's a race between them," he concluded.

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