ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Ajit Agarkar justifies ignoring Karun Nair despite Sachin Tendulkar's backing

The exclusion of Karun Nair from India’s ODI squad for the upcoming three-match ODI series against England and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has sparked intense debates among cricket fans on social media. Now, Indian chief selector Ajit Agarkar addressed Nair’s exclusion from the India squad.

Ajit Agarkar hailed Karun Nair’s exceptional form in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25, where he delivered one of the finest performances the 50-over tournament has ever witnessed. However, Nair’s record-breaking showing was not enough, as the Indian chief selector has simply said that they can’t fit the 33-year-old batter in the current lineup.

Ajit Agarkar explains Karun Nair’s omission from India’s ODI squad amid backlash on social media

The former Indian pacer emphasized the fierce competition within the Indian team, as he was discussing the non-selection of one of the consistent performers, Nair. However, Ajit Agarkar called Karun Nair’s performance in the ongoing 50-over tournament insane, as the right-handed batter has been in red-hot form with the bat.

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The right-handed batter has so far amassed an astonishing 750+ runs in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25. His scores read: 112*(108), 44*(52), 163*(107), 111*(103), 112*(101), 122*(82), and 88*(44), which highlights his consistency.

However, with only 15 spots to fill in the squad, Ajit Agarkar said that the Indian selectors found it extremely tough to accommodate the Vidarbha captain in the ODI lineup, despite his heroic efforts in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25.

We can’t fit everyone: Ajit Agarkar on Karun Nair's snub

Ajit Agarkar told reporters at the press conference: “Averaging 750+ is simply insane. Performances like his don’t happen often. However, with only 15 spots available, we can’t fit everyone.”

However, the Indian chief selector has revealed that Karun Nair remains on their radar and could be called upon if injuries happen during the tournament. Agarkar signed off by saying, “He has earned our attention. Conversations will be around him if someone is injured and there's a place that crops up in the squad.”

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Sachin Tendulkar hails Karun Nair's extraordinary performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25

Earlier, even the cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar hailed Karun Nair’s phenomenal performance in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25. The Master Blaster has suggested to Nair to keep going strong and make every opportunity count to be able to retain his place in the Indian cricket team.

Sachin Tendulkar posted on X: “Scoring 752 runs in 7 innings with 5 centuries is nothing short of extraordinary, @karun126. Performances like these don’t just happen; they come from immense focus and hard work. Keep going strong and make every opportunity count!”

Scoring 752 runs in 7 innings with 5 centuries is nothing short of extraordinary, @karun126. Performances like these don’t just happen, they come from immense focus and hard work. Keep going strong and make every opportunity count!

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) January 17, 2025

Notably, Nair has so far represented India in 6 Tests and 2 ODIs and scored 374 and 64 runs, respectively, before being completely overlooked by the national selectors. His last appearance for India came against Australia in the Dharamshala Test back in 2017.

Since then, he has been consistently piling up runs in domestic cricket but has not impressed the selectors enough to return to the India squad. He has so far 7637 runs in 109 first-class matches and 3101 runs in 106 List-A matches to his name. Nair also scored 3462 runs in 163 T20 matches.