The Indian team for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was announced on Saturday, January 18. However, many cricket fans and former players are disappointed by the absence of Karun Nair’s name in this team. Karun recently performed brilliantly in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, scoring runs at an average of 752, but still did not get a place. Expressing his displeasure with this decision of the selectors, former cricketer Harbhajan Singh has raised questions on the importance of domestic cricket.
Harbhajan Singh’s question: “What is the meaning of domestic cricket?”
Former off-spinner Harbhajan Singh expressed his displeasure over the selection and wrote on X (formerly Twitter),
“Is there any point in playing domestic cricket when you don’t select players on the basis of form and performance?”
Referring to Karun Nair in this post, Harbhajan said that his average in Vijay Hazare Trophy was 752, which is a great record in domestic cricket.
However, in the final match, his total runs fell below 400 due to being bowled by the fast ball of Prasidh Krishna. Despite this, his overall tournament performance was considered good enough for selection.
Champions Trophy team: No place in the middle order
Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant have been selected in the middle order of the Indian team for the Champions Trophy and the upcoming series against England. The selectors believe that at present there is no vacant slot for Karun Nair in the team.
Karun Nair’s explosive performance
Karun Nair, who last played for India in March 2017, batted brilliantly and scored 779 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. His average was 389.50 and he scored 5 centuries and 1 half-century. After such performance it was expected that Karun would get a chance in the Indian team.
Statement of Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar
After the announcement of the team, Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar praised Karun Nair in the press conference and said,
“His performance is really fantastic. Keeping an average of 700+ or 750+ is a special thing for any player. We had considered it, but it is very difficult to fit everyone in the team.”
Sachin Tendulkar had praised
Karun Nair’s performance was also praised by the great cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. Sachin had written on social media that a talented player like Karun Nair should get a chance.
Reaction of fans and cricket community
Fans and cricket experts have raised questions on the selection committee regarding team selection. People believe that ignoring the players who have performed brilliantly in domestic cricket is injustice to their hard work.
Will Karun get the next chance?
Karun Nair did not get a chance this time, but his performance has definitely caught the attention of the selectors. It remains to be seen what doors open for them in the upcoming tournaments and series.
