Karun Nair’s replacement officially confirmed after Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy flop show

The replacement for the 33-year-old India National Cricket Team batsman Karun Nair at Vidarbha has been confirmed after he made the decision to leave the team.

Karun Nair has rejoined Karnataka three seasons after his last appearance for the team, having spent the past two seasons with Vidarbha.

Karun Nair staged an India comeback after heroics for Vidarbha

Nair delivered impressive performances for Vidarbha in domestic cricket across formats and played a key role in their third Ranji Trophy triumph.

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He scored 863 runs in 16 innings with four centuries at 53.93 in the Ranji Trophy and forced the selection committee to recall him to the Test team after 8-plus years.

The batter had also set the stage on fire in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, having scored 779 runs in eight innings, and played some incredible knocks for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025.

However, Nair was unable to replicate his success in the five-match Test series against the England National Cricket Team. He started the England tour with a brilliant 204 in a tour match against the England Lions in Canterbury.

But as the main series started, his form went completely downhill, and he only managed to score just 205 runs in 8 innings at an average of 25.62.

Ravikumar Samarth replaces Karun Nair in Vidarbha

As per a report in Cricbuzz, Ravikumar Samarth is now likely to turn out for the Central Zone side in the upcoming domestic season.

The 32-year-old batter was born on January 22, 1993, in Mysore, and played domestic cricket for Karnataka before joining Team Uttarakhand last season.

Now the batter is set to join Vidarbha as a like-for-like replacement for Karun Nair. Alongside Samarth as their new recruit, Dhruv Shorey will continue to be their second professional.

"I have taken the NOC from Uttarakhand and am waiting for the formalities (with Vidarbha)," Samarth told Cricbuzz on Wednesday.

Overall, Ravikumar Samarth has played 95 First-class matches in his career and scored 6157 runs at an average of 39.72.

Also Read: Mark Wood levels ‘Big Bat’ allegations against Rohit Sharma

England is a tough place to catch - Karun Nair

In a recent interview with RevSportz, Karun Nair spoke about India's fielding woes on the England tour and his standout performance as a fielder. He said:

"England is a tough place to catch. When both teams are dropping a few catches, then there must be factors involved. It has been a really tough series to sight the ball at times, and then getting your hands in the right position to catch.

"One second late in sighting the ball can make all the difference. While practicing, it was about recreating those situations and background where the ball can come from and focussing on how would we react when we don’t see the ball as well. I’ve always been someone who has worked on my catching, and being in the slips throughout my career, it has come naturally to me."