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Sunil Gavaskar was sympathetic to Karun Nair, who failed to find a place in India’s squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. This was after his extraordinary performance in the domestic 50-over competition, the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025.
Karun Nair led Vidarbha to the final and led from the front. The 33-year-old right-handed hitter played nine matches for Vidarbha and scored 779 runs, including five centuries and one fifty. He finished the tournament as the leading run scorer, with a batting average of 389.50.
Nair's batsmanship made him a contender for a spot in India's Champions Trophy 2025 squad, but he was left out of the 15-man squad revealed by chief selector Ajit Agarkar and skipper Rohit Sharma in Mumbai on Saturday (January 18).
Many fans and previous greats of the game criticized Nair's exclusion from the Champions Trophy squad, despite the fact that he was in peak form. Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh slammed the selectors for Nair, questioning the value of accumulating runs in domestic cricket when talented players are not selected.
However, Sunil Gavaskar, the legendary India batter, has given a valid explanation for Karun Nair’s exclusion from the Indian squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
“Where should they fit him? You could have taken the spot of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer. KL will perform the role of second wicketkeeper-batter for this team, and his performance during the 2023 World Cup was good. I don’t think the Indian cricket team has played much ODI cricket after that. Shreyas Iyer has also performed well in the format. That is why Karun Nair has not been picked," Gavaskar told Sports Tak.
Gavaskar further added that if Karun Nair continues with the same form with the bat in the second round of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 matches, then the BCCI selectors will be forced to include him for the five-Test tour of England.
“If his form during the Ranji Trophy remains the same, then it will be hard for Team India to not pick him during the upcoming Test tour of England," he added.
During the squad announcement press conference, Agarkar was also asked about Nair’s absence from the squad.
He stated, “Yeah, it is tough. Those are really special performances. I mean, someone who averages 700-plus, 750-plus (before the Vijay Hazare final). We did have a chat (about Karun). But at the moment, finding a spot in this team is very difficult. I mean, look at the guys who’ve been picked. All average well in excess of mid-40s. So, unfortunately, you can’t fit everyone in. It’s a squad of 15. But those performances (like Karun’s) certainly make you take notice."
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 begins on February 19 to March 9 with India placed in Group A with Pakistan, New Zealand, and Bangladesh.
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