Karun Nair accuses Ajit Agarkar of destroying his career: 'I deserved more than a series'

The 33-year-old India National Cricket Team batsman Karun Nair has launched a scathing attack on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, following his snub from the Test team.

Karun Nair bluntly said that he deserved a lot better treatment from the selection committee and team management than he received on his comeback to international cricket after eight-plus years.

Karun Nair flopped in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025

The right-handed batsman made his comeback to the Indian Test team after a long time during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against the England National Cricket Team.

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He facilitated his comeback with the help of stunning performances in domestic cricket for Vidarbha. Nair delivered back-to-back match-winning performances for Vidarbha across formats and played a vital role in their third Ranji Trophy triumph.

He scored 863 runs in 16 innings with four tons at an average of 53.93 in the Ranji Trophy and forced the selectors to recall him to the Test team. Nair also looked in unbelievable form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy as he scored 779 runs in eight innings.

With Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma retired, Karun Nair emerged as an ideal experienced player that India hoped would provide stability to the inexperienced Test team.

Nair showed a lot of promise at the start of the England tour as he slammed an incredible 204 in a tour match against the England Lions in Canterbury, but he was unable to replicate his success in the five-match Test series.

He only managed to score just 205 runs in 8 innings at an average of 25.62 after batting at different positions and being dropped in the middle of the series as well.

Following his underwhelming performances, he was dropped from the Test squad for the home series against the West Indies National Cricket Team, with Ajit Agarkar saying that they expected better performances from Nair.

Obviously, it is quite disappointing - Karun Nair

The Karnataka batsman has once again started his grind in domestic cricket and scored 73 and 8 in the first round of the Ranji Trophy against Saurashtra. He significantly bettered his performance in the second match against Goa and slammed an unbeaten 174 in the first innings.

Speaking after his incredible performance, Nair stated that he was quite disappointed to be dropped after just one series as he deserved more opportunities. He stated (as quoted by the Indian Express):

“Obviously, it is quite disappointing. After the last two years I’ve had, I think I deserved a lot better. More than a series."

Honestly, what target can I have next? - Karun Nair

Karun Nair further said that there were a few members of the Indian team who had good conversations with him on his comeback. He stated:

“There are certain individuals in the [Indian] team who have had good conversations with me about how they felt. That’s about it.”

“It does get into the head. But the second thought would be to do your job, which is to score runs and let people have their opinions."

A disappointed Karun Nair also remarked that his only goal is to play for the country, and if he can't achieve that, he doesn't know what to target next.

“Honestly, what target can I have next? All I want to do is to play for the country. If you’re not able to do that, the next thing would be to try and win games for the side you are playing for.”

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