ENG vs IND: Karun Nair's long-awaited Test comeback may be over after six failures in England, as India considers giving rising star Sai Sudharsan a full run.
It’s been a journey full of grit, setbacks, and second winds. For Karun Nair, the road back to the Indian Test side took eight long years—a time when most players hang up their boots, not dream of donning the India jersey again. But the Karnataka batter did not give up. Instead, he let his bat do the talking on the domestic circuit.
His reward? A coveted spot in the Test squad touring England. A promising double hundred against England Lions in Canterbury reignited the spark, breaking the door down for a long-awaited return. For a brief moment, it looked like the start of a redemption arc. But sport is rarely scripted that neatly.
At 33, with a history-making triple century to his name, Nair returned not as a greenhorn, but as someone who had everything to lose—and everything to prove.
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The Numbers That Haunt
What should have been the beginning of a glorious comeback has instead turned into a potential swansong. After three Tests—at Headingley, Edgbaston, and Lord’s—Nair has managed just 131 runs at an average of under 22. He’s played six innings. And failed in all of them.
There’s no sugar-coating those numbers. For a team led by the ever-pragmatic Gautam Gambhir and the youthful captain Shubman Gill, such statistics are hard to overlook—especially in a high-stakes series on English soil.
The selectors did give him a fair run. Sai Sudharsan, who impressed with a calm 30 on debut at Leeds, was left out in favour of Nair. The message was clear: this was Karun’s moment. But as the innings ticked by and the runs failed to flow, the sands of time began slipping through.
The Trigger That’s Holding Karun Nair Back
What went wrong? For someone who’s faced nearly 250 deliveries in this series, Nair hasn’t looked completely out of place. But something has been amiss—especially against genuine pace and lateral movement.
Devang Gandhi, former India selector and an experienced coach, believes the issue lies deep within Nair’s technique.
“Obviously, he is doing the hard yards before there is a lapse of concentration. Save first innings at Leeds, he has played minimum of 30 deliveries in each innings which means he is working hard but results aren't coming,” Gandhi was quoted as saying in a PTI report.
But it’s not just about grit. It’s about timing.
“In case of Karun, he has a trigger movement which is trifle late compared to someone like Shubman Gill. If you watch closely, Karun's front-foot is still in the air at the point of release for a pace bowler. Now if the front-foot is in the air at that point it means if he wants to go on backfoot, he is being late,” Gandhi explained.
This minor delay may not hurt much against someone like Chris Woakes, who operates in the early 130s. But when facing the hostility of Jofra Archer or Brydon Carse, even a fraction of a second’s hesitation can mean the difference between a punch down the ground and a feather behind the stumps.
Still, Gandhi remains hopeful. “He needs to have an early trigger. That is doable or else, he has to have different triggers for bowlers with different pace. Now the second solution is a difficult one and it would need time and high-end skills to have that adaptability.”
A Decision Awaits in Manchester
With the fourth Test at Old Trafford just days away, the Indian team management has a call to make. Do they give Karun Nair one more shot at redemption? Or is it time to look beyond, to invest in youth and potential?
Former wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta believes the writing may already be on the wall.
“You have to look at the future. Karun is nearing 34 and Sai is 21. If you have already decided that you would invest in Sai then allow him to gain experience of playing Tests in England. He is a work in progress and will only get better,” he was quoted as saying in a PTI report.
It’s a tough call. For fans, for the player, and for the leadership group. Karun Nair’s journey has always been about fighting the odds. But this might just be one battle too steep.
The Test at Old Trafford may or may not see his name on the team sheet. But if this was indeed his last hurrah, it was a story of effort without reward—a reminder that even in cricket, fairy tales don’t always get their ending.
And yet, the romanticism of the game lies in such stories. In comebacks, even the ones that fall short.
