"Practice what you preach"- Ravi Shastri beaten wildly for fresh stand on Karun Nair

Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri has been facing the wrath of the fans for his latest remark on the comeback man Karun Nair ahead of the five-match Test series against England, starting on June 20 at Headingley in Leeds.

Actually, Ravi Shastri was picking his preferred playing XI for India for the upcoming first Test against England when he tried to get the credit for Karun Nair’s comeback into the national fold. Even the former head coach has selected Nair in his playing XI and suggested the No. 5 position for him.

Ravi Shastri slammed by fans for taking credit in Karun Nair’s Test comeback

After his selections, Shastri said that Nair didn’t just knock on the selectors' door, but he kicked it wide open with his blazing form in domestic cricket. The cricket expert further mentioned that Nair has finally forced his way back into the India squad, making the selectors take notice after years of hard work and loads of runs in the domestic cricket.

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The former Indian head coach even recalled how he motivated Nair, who is making a comeback to the Test arena after eight years, having last sported whites in 2017, during the recent IPL 2025 season, and he did the same, and now he is part of the national side on the England tour.

Karun Nair has done just what I told him: Ravi Shastri

Ravi Shastri said on The ICC Review, “I think he (Nair) has worked really hard. He's just worked his way back into the side. The number of runs he's got in first-last cricket is incredible. And I met him during an IPL game. I said, ‘Don't just bang the door. Just kick it down and make your way in and walk into that side. And I think he's done just that. Just the number of runs that he's got has made the selectors look in that direction and give him a place.”

As soon as Shastri’s remarks went viral, fans noticed how the former head coach tried to get the credit for Karun Nair's return to the Test team despite, under his tenure, he was shown the doors without any fault and any explanation behind his continuous omission.

The Indian fans have been accusing Shastri and Virat Kohli of dropping Karun Nair from the Indian team. Some have been trolling the former coach for being shameless to try to get the credit for Nair’s comeback despite the years of pain of the talented batter.

Read Also: Jasprit Bumrah rubbishes Virat Kohli's Test Cricket 5 Levels above IPL claim, busts Huge Myth

Here's how fans troll Ravi Shastri for his tactic:

भूतनी के तुम्हारे और कोहली और @anilkumble1074 के ही कारण तो बेचारे @karun126 की top knockout के बावजूद indian team se dropout करवा दिया था....🤧

अब जब वह अपनी merit और मेहनत से वापस Indian team में जगह बनाया है तो तुम credit लेने की लिए धक्का मुक्की किए जा रहे हो....भूतनी…

— Silent Killer🔥 (@Kanhaiyakr99) June 18, 2025

What happened to the one who done the same or even more and also he scored in Test Cricket and in for IND A also after he dropped from Test team???? #Sarfaraz

— Jophin J (@jophinjsrt10) June 18, 2025

You got this, keep going! 😊

— Dr. Guman Singh Gurjar (@DrGumanSingh) June 18, 2025

Says a man who kicked him out of the team.

— Uday Joshi (@udayjoshi98) June 18, 2025

For the 33-year-old, this comeback feels like a full-circle moment. Back in 2018, during India’s tour of England, Nair didn’t get a single chance to play in the five-match Test series, just warming the bench by the then captain Virat Kohli and coach Shastri.

Despite being only the second Indian after Virender Sehwag to score a triple century in the traditional format of the game, Karun Nair has spent years on the sidelines since that epic knock in Chennai in 2016. Now, after a long wait, he's finally back in the mix.

Here’s Ravi Shastri’s playing XI for the first Test against England:

Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Prasidh Krishna/Arshdeep Singh.

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