ENG vs IND: Has Karun Nair’s Second Chance Ended Early After Manchester Test Omission?

Karun Nair's return to Test cricket after eight years has been a mixed bag. Despite showing promise in domestic and County cricket, he struggled to convert starts into big scores in the ongoing series against England, leading to his replacement.

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One more chance for Karun Nair?

Indian veteran batter Karun Nair was surprisingly dropped from the playing XI for the fourth Test of the ongoing five-match series against England at Old Trafford on Wednesday, July 23.

Karun featured in the opening Test of the Anderson-Trophy 2025 as a middle-order batter at Headingley before he was promoted to No.3 in the next two Tests at Edgbaston and Headingley after Sai Sudharsan was dropped from the team. However, despite being given big opportunities in key positions, the 33-year-old failed to justify his selection, managing only modest scores, leading to team management making a tough call.

Despite India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate placing his faith in Karun Nair, Shubman Gill confirmed at toss that veteran Indian batter was replaced with Sai Sudharsan, who was dropped after making his Test debut on July 21.

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Second Chance yet to prove

Back in 2022, Karun Nair took to his X handle (formerly Twitter) and made an emotional plea to the sport he loved the most, to give him ‘one more chance’. The second chance came calling when he was picked for the India Test squad after 8 years for the England Test series, thanks to performance in Indian domestic cricket and County Cricket.

Many experts and fans backed Karun to play the Test series against England, and he was picked for the first match at Headingley. However, the veteran Indian batter was not able to justify his second chance of playing for India.

In the last six innings, 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.

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A short-lived comeback for Karun Nair

Speaking ahead of Day 1 of the Manchester Test, former India batter turned commentator, Sanjay Manjrekar, believes that Karun Nair failed to make the most of his second chance, leading to paving the way for Sai Sudharsan.

“It was an emotional story where he said, 'Cricket, give me another chance'. Cricket gave him another chance. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to catch it,” Manjrekar said.

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Failed to replicate his County experience

Karun Nair had spent two seasons of County Championship in 2023 and 2024, representing Northamptonshire. Across both seasons of England’s prestigious domestic tournament, Karun amassed 736 runs at an average of 56.61. Last season, Nair was quite impressive as he amassed 487 runs, including a double century against Glamorgan, at an average of 48 in 11 innings.

Before making his Test return, Karun Nair had played two unofficial Tests for India A against England Lions and aggregated 259 runs, including a century, at an average of 86.33 in three innings. He scored a double century in the first match and scored 40 and 15 in the second game.

However, Karun Nair was unable to replicate his County and India A performances at the international level, struggling against a disciplined England bowling attack.

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Shubman Gill hopeful Karun Nair’s turnaround

Speaking at the press conference on the eve of Manchester Test, Shubman Gill stated that he did not find any fault in Karun Nair’s batting, adding he was unable to get to his own zone and get runs for India. However, Team India skipper is hopeful for Nair’s turnaround.

"Yes, we have had conversations with him [Karun Nair], but we think he is batting well. Sometimes it's not, first match, he didn't really play at his number. It's difficult when a player is making a comeback in a series like this, you know. But I don't think there's been any issue with his batting," Gill told reporters

“Sometimes it's also about getting that click. Once you're able to make your 50, then you're able to get back into your zone and get some big runs. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened for him so far. But we are hopeful that he will be able to turn around," he added.

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Will Karun Nair get one more chance?

Karun Nair’s second Test tour of England is likely to come to an end as Team India management is expected to play Sai Sudharsan in the fifth and final Test of the ongoing series at The Oval, which will start on July 31.

After the Test series against England, Team India will play their first red-ball cricket of the ongoing World Test Championship Cycle against West Indies in October. Since Karun Nair is not in a scheme of things for white-ball setups, his realistic path of staking a claim again in the Indian team depends on his performance in domestic cricket.

 However, Nair is likely to be in competition with some of the upcoming stars, including Sai Sudharsan and Sarfaraz Khan, to make a way back into the Indian team.

His performance in the ongoing Test series against England might prompt the BCCI selectors to take a relook at the middle-order options ahead of the West Indies tour, possibly favouring younger and more consistent performers.