Karun Nair's One Last Chance? Netizens React after Batter Returns to Playing XI for ENG vs IND Oval Decider

Karun Nair returns to India's XI for the final Oval Test after being dropped for the 4th match. His inconsistent run in the first three Tests raises questions over his selection and whether this is his final shot to cement a place in the team.

Indian veteran batter Karun Nair has returned to the playing XI for the fifth and final Test of the ongoing series against England at the Oval in London on Thursday, July 31.

The Shubman Gill-led Team India is heading into the Oval Test intending to level the series after the visitors pulled off a dramatic draw in the Manchester Test, thanks to resilient batting by Ravindra Jadeja (107*), Washington Sundar (101*), Shubman Gill (103), and KL Rahul (90), who guided Team India to 425/4 from 0/2 and took a 114-run before agreeing to a draw with England.

The five-match Test series is currently leveled at 2-1 in England’s favour, and Team India will be aiming for a win at The Oval to avoid series defeat and end the tour on a high.

India make changes in the playing XI

As expected, India made a few changes in their playing XI for an all-important match of the ongoing Test series. Jasprit Bumrah and Rishabh Pant were ruled out of the Oval Test due to workload management and a fractured toe, respectively. However, there was uncertainty whether Arshdeep Singh would get his Test debut or Prasidh Krishna would return to the playing XI.

Ahead of the Oval Test, it was reported that Karun Nair would be brought in to replace Shardul Thakur, as the latter was not effective with the ball.

At the toss, Shubman Gill confirmed four changes in the playing XI, with Dhruv Jurel, Karun Nair, Prasidh Krishna, and Akash Deep replacing Rishabh Pant, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, and Anshul Kamboj, respectively.

“Should be a good pitch for the bowlers. We've got three changes. Jurel, Karun, and Prasidh in for Pant, Shardul, and Bumrah. We look for a win every game we play, we've come close, and it's about that 5-10% extra push, boys will be giving it their all,” Gill said after losing the toss for the fifth time on the trot in this series.

One last chance for Karun Nair?

The major talking point of India’s playing XI is the return of Karun Nair to the playing XI after he was dropped from the team for the Manchester Test. Nair made his return to the national side after a gap of eight years.

The 33-year-old featured in the first three Tests at Headingley, Edgbaston, and Lord’s, but failed to justify his selection, resulting in him being dropped from the playing XI and replaced by Sai Sudharsan for the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester. In the first three Tests, Nair’s scores read - 0,20, 31, 26, 40, and 14 and aggregated 131 runs at an average of 21.83. failing to convert his starts into impactful knocks.

Despite uncertainty over his return to the playing XI due to inconsistent performances, Team India management has handed a potential final opportunity to prove his worth on the big stage, as India look to draw the series and end the tour on a high.

Does Karun Nair deserve one more chance?

Karun Nair’s return to the playing XI despite a string of moderate performances in the first three Tests received a mix of reactions from the fans. Taking to their X handle (formerly Twitter), many believed veteran Indian batter from Karnataka deserves one more chance, given that it is likely to be his last Test tour.

While others feel that others should have gotten an opportunity, including Arshdeep Singh, Abhimanyu Easwaran, and Kuldeep Yadav, who did not get a single game throughout the Test series.

Karun Nair will be hoping to redeem himself in potentially his last chance in the ongoing Test series against England at The Oval. After the England Test series, Team India’s next red-ball series will be against the West Indies, which will take place in October. However, Nair is likely to be in competition with Sarfaraz Khan and Sai Sudharsan for a spot in the squad.

In his Test career, Karun Nair has aggregated 505 runs, including a triple century, at an average of 42.08 in nine matches. Nair scored his only triple century against England in Chennai in 2016, playing a brilliant unbeaten innings of 303 off 376 balls.