Karun Nair to get a chance in West Indies Tests? Big statement dropped after India A snub

A massive statement has been made by the former India National Cricket Team opener Aakash Chopra on Karun Nair's India A snub for the upcoming series against Australia A.

The Australia A Tour of India 2025 consists of two multi-day matches and three one-day games, which will take place in September-October.

Karun Nair snubbed from India A squad

The 33-year-old Nair made his India comeback after eight-plus years for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy - a five-match Test series in England.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

He headed into the series on the back of his heroics in domestic cricket and received four matches to prove his worth at the international level.

However, Karun Nair was unable to impress despite the conditions being batting-friendly in the five-match Test series. He scored just 205 runs in 8 innings at an average of 25.62.

After his underwhelming performances, Karun Nair has not been included in the India A squad for unofficial Tests, although it's unclear whether he has recovered from the fracture he sustained in his finger in the Oval Test.

Shreyas Iyer has been named India A captain for the multi-day series against Australia A, and the squad also features Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sai Sudharsan, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Prasidh Krishna, among others.

India regulars KL Rahul and Mohammed Siraj will also join the squad for the 2nd multi-day match.

I felt he would get a chance in the West Indies tour of India - Aakash Chopra

Speaking of Karun Nair's India A snub, Aakash Chopra said that there is a high possibility of the batter's Test career being over and him not getting a place in the squad for the home Test series against West Indies, where he had a better chance of performing and sealing his place in the team. In a video shared on his official YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said:

"Karun Nair not being there is a big step. He asked for a second chance, and it was given as well. I would say his performance was okay-okay. You can't say that he grabbed that chance with both hands, but you can't also say his performance was very ordinary either, that you should drop him suddenly.

"He was moved up and down in the batting order, was sent at No. 3 and No. 6. Despite that, he scored a few runs, but got out in some places. I felt he would get a chance in the West Indies tour of India. Unfortunately, you might not see Karun Nair playing now."

If he scores runs here, he could run ahead of Sai Sudharsan - Aakash Chopra

The veteran batsman Abhimanyu Easwaran has been around the Test setup for a very long time, but hasn't received his India cap, even after the retirements of several batting superstars like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Cheteshwar Pujara.

In the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, India had a chance to slot Abhimanyu Easwaran at No.3, but they used Karun Nair and Sai Sudharsan at that position.

It looks like India are looking at Sai Sudharsan as the future No.3 batter, but Aakash Chopra feels that Abhimanyu Easwaran could pip the Tamil Nadu star if he does well against Australia A.

"Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sai Sudharsan will get opportunities and both need to score runs. Since Sai Sudharsan is coming after playing in the current team, you feel he is slightly ahead in the race, but he is not that far ahead. Abhimanyu Easwaran is there, but he never gets a play, so that goes against him.

"However, the one thing that is in Abhimanyu Easwaran's favor is that the selectors have said they want to keep him for sure, as he is consistent. He is not someone who has been dropped even from India A. If he scores runs here, he could run ahead of Sai Sudharsan. It's a race between them," Chopra observed.

Also Read: "Stop giving sh*t" - Shreyas Iyer gives a tight slap to Gautam Gambhir