Where is Karun Nair? When will wee him playing in whites for India?
Was he a part of the England touring side?
The middle-order batsman was selected in the squad for the 5-match Test series but has not got a single game despite there have been several chopping and changes.
Hanuma Vihari, who came into the side much later, got a surprise inclusion for the Oval Test as Nair was overlooked. The player has worked hard to be drafted into the side and yet he saw himself at the receiving end.
So what’s the deal? The selectors back him and send him to England. The management decides, may be, he isn’t the player they are looking for. Five Tests later in England, Nair will pack his bags being a mere spectator across all the five venues.
Nair was one of the top players in the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy with 612 runs from 7 matches. He is the only Indian player of this current lot to have a Test triple century in international cricket. Former Indian legend, Sunil Gavaskar, went on to slam the Indian management for omitting middle-order batsman from the 5th Test match against England at the Oval.
India had already lost the series, so trying out your bench strength here would have been a plus. Has India treated Nair poorly?
Nair deserves an answer: Gavaskar
The television pundit then also added, “If you are going to pick an extra batsman, which they should have done from the first Test itself, and if you haven’t given him the opportunity, he deserves an answer.” India at times looked like they are a batsman short in the matches.
The Lord’s Test was an example of this and so was Edgbaston. India should have roped in extra batsmen to give the side much-needed cushion and when players do not perform consistently.
Perhaps the manner in which Shikhar Dhawan played, should have prompted the team to think out of the box and found a place for Nair.
Has the management lost the plot?
Yes, the risk paid off as Vihari struck a maiden half-century and also picked three wickets. But what if he would have failed? Then there would be unnecessary pressure on the player. Questions would have centred around why Nair was not chosen.
If someone is selected in the first time a squad is announced, he is right to feel vexed if someone else coming in later gets a nod ahead of him.
Own favourites in the Indian side?
Umesh Yadav was dropped to the bench despite bowling well at Edgbaston. The management went for Kuldeep Yadav in the next match and the decision backfired. Since then, Umesh never made a return. Nair has warmed the bench from the start.
The question here is why do selectors select 18 members when other nations call lesser players? For a series such as this, where cricket spans over for almost close to two months, can’t one see the agony of players sitting in the dressing room for ages during this period?
It’s been a series of misfortune for Nair
In between the Indian batsmen like Ajinkya Rahane and KL Rahul struggled for most parts of the tour. Rahane saved himself with two fifties to his name in the 3rd and 4th Test respectively. For Rahul, there were several questions on how the IPL has affected his Test game.
The fifth and the final Test was a match that Rahul needed to fire at all costs. And he replied with a 37 and then a glaring century in the 2nd innings.
Prior to that, the scores of Rahul in the series read 4, 13, 8, 10, 23, 36, 19 and 0. Players waiting for a chance on the bench will look at this and feel what have they done wrong. Their confidence then takes a huge hit.
Nair likely to be dropped for Windies series
Nair has been a mere spectator for India in the last five Tests alongside the lone one-off match against Afghanistan as well in June. It is a clear indication that Nair, who has had to play the waiting game, is likely to be dropped for the series against Windies.
He hasn’t been in the plans of the side and that makes him an easy target to be left out of the squad. Also, the Indian team isn’t going to go with 18 players like they did in England. Another reason is that Vihari’s handiness with both bat and ball is not going to be overlooked. Nair, with no fault of his own, will therefore not be needed to provide the extra cushion anymore.