Karun Nair set to skip Duleep Trophy after sealing India comeback
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Indian batsman Karun Nair, who marked his Test comeback for India in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, will miss the upcoming Duleep Trophy due to a blow to his finger in the last innings of the Oval Test.
Karun Nair, the 33-year-old middle-order batter from India, made his Test debut back in 2016 and had scored a triple hundred in the home series against England, but was dropped from the Indian Test side at the back of some incomprehensible performances against Australia.
Nair, since then, worked hard in the domestic games to make a strong comeback into the Indian side; however, with the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Rohit Sharma, and Cheteshwar Pujara in the Indian batting lineup, Karun Nair's India comeback was delayed.
Karun Nair to miss Duleep Trophy 2025
Ending his 8-year-long efforts, Karun Nair, who also featured in the IPL for the Delhi Capitals last season, was picked for the India vs England Test series in England. Having made his debut against England, Nair once again returned to the Indian side on an English tour.
After having made a stunning double-century in the preparation games, Nair was expected to be rock-solid for India, as the management gave him several opportunities across several batting positions in the team. Despite the chances, Nair ended up with only 205 runs at an average of 25.62 and just one half-century in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
Meanwhile, The Times of India has now reported that Karun Nair suffered a minor fracture on his finger after a rising ball struck him in the second innings of The Oval Test.
He is unlikely to feature in the Duleep Trophy for the Central Zone due to the injury and has moved back to his former team, Karnataka, for the upcoming domestic season.
Nair leaves Vidarbha to be back with Karnataka
Two weeks before, during the India vs England series, Karun Nair had informed about his return to the Karnataka State team after he received a no-objection certificate from the Vidarbha Cricket Association, with whom he spent his last two seasons.
Karun's stocks significantly increased since his exit from the Karnataka team, as Vidarbha gave him a better platform to showcase his skills, and he led them to a historic third title in the Ranji Trophy.
He enjoyed the Vijay Hazare Trophy as well, playing for Vidarbha, as he led them to another final before ending up being the runners-up in the competition. During the stint, he relished scoring the most runs without being dismissed.
Karun Nair's domestic dominance for Vidarbha
In 2023, when Nair moved to Vidarbha, no one anticipated the levels he would take the team to. He led them to their third title in the Ranji Trophy and had a dream run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, as he led them to the finals and ended up being runners-up in the 50-over tournament.
In the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season, he scored 863 runs for Vidarbha at an average of 53.93 with four centuries. Before that, in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, he hit five centuries in 8 innings, while he remained unbeaten on 6 occasions.
He topped the charts with 779 runs in 8 innings and had a strike rate of 124.01 while maintaining an insane average of 389.50.
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India National Cricket Team Karun Nair Vidarbha Ranji Trophy team Karnataka Ranji Trophy team Duleep Trophy India vs England
