Vidarbha batter Karun Nair is having a fantastic run with the bat in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25. Nair recently slammed his fourth successive hundred in the tournament to take Vidarbha to the semi-finals.
However, there is another good news for Nair. The 33-year-old is believed to be in the selectors’ radar for the Champions Trophy and could also be back in the Test format for the tour of England later.
Nair’s good form comes on the back of depleting batting form of India’s two seniormost batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. It is believed that Nair’s good form can be utilized in India’s transitional phase.
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Selectors keeping an eye on Karun Nair
According to a report, Karun Nair is closely watched by the selectors since Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are going through a bad phase. The selectors want an experienced player in the transitional phase and Nair has plenty of that.
“As India enter a transitional phase, with seniors Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli struggling in Tests, Karun (Nair) happens to be a player that the selectors are watching with keen interest,” the report was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.
While he is on the radar of selectors, it remains to be seen whether he gets selected for the Champions Trophy 2025. Nair’s form in the 50-over format augurs well for him to be a part of the tournament. He can also be in line for India’s tour of England in June.
Karun Nair’s numbers in the Vijay Hazare Trophy
Karun Nair’s scores in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy read 112*, 44*, 163*, 111*, 112*, and 122*. The Vidarbha captain has already scored five hundreds and is yet to be dismissed in his last six innings.
The right-hander has scored 664 runs in seven matches at a breathtaking average of 664 and a strike rate of 120.07. It is currently the most runs scored by a batter in List A cricket without getting dismissed. He has now scored four consecutive hundreds in List A cricket and is the third player to achieve this feat.
In the first phase of the Ranji Trophy, Karun Nair scored 289 runs in four matches at an average of 48.16 with one hundred and one fifty. If he has a good season with the bat in the second phase, he can stake a claim in India’s Test squad for the tour of England.
Karun Nair’s historic triple-century
Karun Nair scored a magnificent triple hundred against England in 2016 and it looked like he will be there for a long run. However, he was dropped from the team after a few poor knocks as India preferred Hanuma Vihari over him.
Nair was even dumped by his state team Karnataka, who decided to move on from him and invest in younger talent. He moved to Vidarbha in the 2023-24 season in order to revive his career. He even put a post on December 22, saying, “Dear cricket, give me one more chance,” when his career was going down.
India’s squad for the Champions Trophy is due to be announced in a few days. With not much 50-over cricket being played by most of the players, Nair presents the case with a lot of cricket in that format under his belt.