'Karun Nair's time is up...': Shocking verdict out on India batter's Test future

Former England National Cricket Team captain Michael Vaughan has opined that the comeback man Karun Nair's India Test future looks bleak at the moment.

According to Michael Vaughan, Karun Nair will only get another international game in whites for Team India if the Shubman Gill-led side clinch a victory in the Lord's Test; otherwise, he will be dropped.

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Karun Nair yet to impress after India comeback

Nair staged his India comeback after consistently delivering stellar performances in domestic cricket and received good backing from the Gautam Gambhir-led team management.

After batting at the No.6 position in his first match on return to India playing XI, he was promoted to the crucial No.3 spot with Sai Sudharsan being axed.

Karun Nair, however, has failed to justify his place and repay the faith of the Indian team management. Despite getting off to good starts in almost all the innings, he has not managed to register a big score.

In his first two innings at Headingley in Leeds, he registered the scores of 0 & 20, and followed it up with yet another disappointing outing at Edgbaston in Birmingham, returning with scores of 31 & 26.

The 33-year-old's best performance came in the first innings of the ongoing third Test match at Lord's in London as he scored 40 runs off 62 balls. However, in the second innings, while chasing 193, he once again disappointed and got out LBW for 14 in a bizarre manner on Day 4.

If India lose, I think his time will be up - Michael Vaughan

India still need 135 runs to win the Lord's Test match and they have 6 wickets in hand. Michael Vaughan feels that Karun Nair's fate totally depends on the outcome of the match, as a defeat would put an end to his India career.

"If India win, I think he (Nair) will be fine. If India lose, I think his time will be up. That's just the nature. If England lose tomorrow, there will be so many questions about two or three of the England players. I think for Karun Nair, he needs Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Jadeja to hold their nerve and get India over the line. If they lose, that leave will be analysed a lot more than we are analysing it now," Vaughan said on Cricbuzz.

Karun Nair leaves a straight one, it must be a brain fade - Michael Vaughan

Vaughan further highlighted how Nair suffered a brain-fade and shouldered his arms to a nipbacker from Brydon Carse that resulted in his bizarre dismissal in the last innings of the Lord's Test.

"Karun Nair leaves a straight one, it must be (a brain fade). To think that he has left that delivery, which just cracked open the game. Akash Deep is the first ever player that has been hit on the inside of the thigh and needed tape. I've never seen a batter need tape," Vaughan added.

Meanwhile, the former India National Cricket Team wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik opined that the early dismissal of Nair meant that India had to use Akash Deep as nightwatchman even when the pacer was not ready to go out in the middle. He said:

"I feel, Akash Deep was not ready. He was just probably chilling thinking ice bath time and then wickets fall, and then Rishabh Pant must be like, 'I think it's better if you go'. He was not ready, because as he was walking in, he was wearing his arm guard, he had his gloves in his hands, it was messy, sloppy, to say the least. He actualy did the job he was sent out for, which was to make sure he protected Rishabh Pant from batting," Dinesh Karthik said.