New Delhi: Having last played a Test in 2017, Karun Nair waited eight years before his comeback as part of the Indian squad for the England tour. But he could not pile up many runs in the first Test match. And the internet was quick to call him out.
“Karun Nair, you asked for one chance and Gautam Gambhir has given you two and you wasted both of them,” a user posted on X.
“The Karun Nair narrative was false in the first place and this test has proved that he doesn’t belong at this level. Harsh but true,” another wrote.
Some questioned why Nitish Kumar Reddy or Dhruv Jurel weren’t picked over him.
Has people forgot 22 years old Nitish Kumar Reddy already? Led got to debut in Aus's tough conditions where everyone struggled & he succeded and still GG dropped him for flop 34 years old Karun Nair.
His scores in BGT – 41, 38*, 42, 42, 114 batting at 8. pic.twitter.com/5S5OItwnuh
— Rajiv (@Rajiv1841) June 24, 2025
I have nothing against karun nair. But what wrong did Dhruv jurel did in his small sample size? He looked Ready for this level
Should play next test as proper batsman https://t.co/fLrrdvmxYH
— Arjun Singh (@ArjunSingh098) June 23, 2025
But Nair’s former coach R.X. Murali dismissed the assessment of social media critics questioning the cricketer’s inclusion in the playing squad.
“He deserved to get selected in the playing XI. There is no doubt about it. Two failed innings cannot take away what he has done so far,” Murali told ThePrint. “He has worked his life out to score runs.”
Nair became only the second Indian cricketer to score a triple century (against England in Chennai) after Virendra Sehwag in December 2016.
But after 2017, the chance to play for India remained elusive. His old social media post—“Dear cricket, give me one more chance”—resurfaced time and again, he saw no breakthrough.
However, he worked on his fitness and performance. In the 2024-25 Ranji season, he collected 863 runs with four tons, besides 779 runs in eight Vijay Hazare Trophy innings that included five centuries.
His efforts were finally rewarded, when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) picked him for the five-match Test series in England.
Nair, India’s 287th Test cricketer, received his comeback cap from the legendary Sunil Gavaskar.
But in his highly anticipated comeback, Nair lasted just four balls before being dismissed for a duck. On England skipper Ben Stokes’ full outswinger, wide of off stump, Nair attempted a drive which went straight into the hands of Ollie Pope at short cover.
In the second innings as well, he left with 20 off 54 balls, failing to make an impact. He was caught and bowled by Chris Woakes.
Murali agreed that while Nair can be questioned for not scoring runs in the first match, he got out in the first innings because of wrong shot selection—“he played too early”. But he also highlighted that just because Nair was given a chance, it doesn’t mean he will score a century in the very first match. “It doesn’t work like that.”
Prithvi Shaw’s coach Prashant Shetty also backed Nair, hoping that the team management backs him, despite his performance in the first Test.
“He knows how to score. He has got the experience,” Shetty said. “The team management should back him for a few matches at least. Probably the whole series. Nair should be given at least seven-eight innings, if he is still not able to perform, people can go ahead and criticise him, and the management can drop him.”
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
Also Read: How dropped catches, lower order collapse undid India’s campaign against England in 1st test