His international comeback was after eight years in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy with England. He had appeared in four Tests whereby he had a score of 205 runs with an average of 25.62. He was inconsistent in various batting roles but made a half-century in the latter Test at The Oval which India won to make the test series a draw at 2-2.
Nair was not included in the squad announced by the chiefSelector of BCCI Ajit Agarkar when the squad was announced as the next series with West Indies. Agarkar commented that though Nair had given glimpses of form, the selectors and the management of the team anticipated greater performances when they went on the England tour.
“Frankly, we expected a little more from Karun. He played four Tests, and you spoke about one innings. That’s the way it is. We feel Padikkal offers a little more at this point. Wish we could give everyone 15-20 Tests,” Agarkar said in the press conference.
However, Karun Nair acknowledged that he was taken aback when his name was left out of the squad. He emphasized that he led India in scoring in the opening innings of the Oval Test and helped the team win.
“Yes, I did expect the selection. I don’t know what to say. No words. I don’t have many comments to make. It’s very difficult for me to answer,” he told the Times of India.
“You should probably ask the selectors what they are thinking. The only thing is, in the last Test match, I scored a fifty when no one else managed in the first innings. So, yeah, I thought I contributed to the team, especially in the last game that we won. But, yeah, it is what it is. Those things don’t matter.”
Karun Nair
Anahmedabad will play the first test between India and West Indies at the Narendra Modi stadium beginning on October 2. Meanwhile, the second Test will be played in the Delhi Arun Jaitley stadium between October 10 and 14.
