Karun Nair ruled out of cricket with gruesome finger injury
Published - 05 Aug 2025, 11:13 AM | Updated - 05 Aug 2025, 12:59 PM
In a stunning display of grit and determination, Karun Nair continued to play despite suffering a broken right index finger in the fifth and final Test between India and England at The Oval. Karun Nair was recalled to the Indian cricket team after eight years, but he failed to make a significant impact with the bat on the England tour.
The right-handed batter managed to get off to decent starts in the first three Test matches but failed to turn them into a fifty, and he was dropped for the Manchester Test, but injury to Rishabh Pant and poor form of Shardul Thakur handed him another chance at The Oval.
Karun Nair’s brave but bitter return in India XI at The Oval
In the Oval Test, Nair had a good chance to score big after reaching his fifty, but couldn't make it count. He got out LBW to Josh Tongue, missing the chance to impress the selectors and team management. During his 57-run knock off 109 balls, Nair added 18 runs with Sai Sudharsan, 22 runs with Ravindra Jadeja, 30 runs with Dhruv Jurel, and 65 runs with Washington Sundar.
Nair’s contributions were crucial in India posting 224 runs on the board in their first innings. But his second-innings dismissal for just 17 runs off 32 balls in the Oval Test perfectly reflected his struggles throughout the five-match Test series in England.
When Yashasvi Jaiswal was frustrated with Karun Nair!!
A sharp, short delivery from Gus Atkinson hit the Karnataka batter on the gloves and shook his confidence right away. From that point, Nair never looked settled at the crease, and even his discomfort didn’t go unnoticed. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was batting at the other end, looked frustrated and even had a word with Nair about not reacting to changes in the field.
Things got more tense when Nair appeared slow and hesitant while running between the wickets. Despite all his experience and success in domestic cricket, it looked like the high-pressure moment had gotten the better of the seasoned batter in England.
Karun Nair plays through broken finger in 5th Test
Interestingly, Nair didn’t take the field for the entire Day 4 and Day 5 during England’s chase at The Oval. Instead, Abhimanyu Easwaran came as a substitute fielder. Now, it emerged that Nair had suffered an injury, which was found to be a broken index finger.
A Revsportz journalist claimed that Karun Nair had broken his right index finger during the final Test. The injury came off the very first ball of Day 4, but the brave batter decided to fight through the pain at The Oval.
He posted, X: “Karun Nair had a broken right index finger. He had copped a blow on the very first ball on Day 4. Fighter.”
Karun Nair had a broken right index finger. He had copped a blow in the very first ball on Day 4. Fighter.
— Subhayan Chakraborty (@CricSubhayan) August 4, 2025
Karun Nair’s comeback falls flat in England
Well, Nair’s return to Test cricket was a fairytale comeback story. After a strong domestic season and a double century for India A against the England Lions in Canterbury, hopes were high for the batter. But Nair’s comeback has ended in disappointment, as he could manage only 205 runs in four tests in England.
Despite showing good form with Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy and glimpses of brilliance in the IPL and tour game, Nair couldn’t deliver in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He looked out of touch and lacked confidence when it mattered most, leaving his future in India uncertain once again.
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