Despite being in excellent form Karun Nair was not included in India's squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, announced on Saturday by Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar and captain Rohit Sharma. During the press conference, Agarkar explained that while Nair's performances have been impressive, it was difficult to find a spot for him in the team.
"Someone averages 700+, those are special performances. At the moment, finding a spot in this team is difficult." “Karun Nair is playing well but it was difficult for him to get a place in this team”.
"Performances like his don’t happen often. However, with only 15 spots available, we can’t fit everyone,”said Agarkar during the press conference.
Karun Nair’s stellar form in Vijay Hazare Trophy
Agarkar acknowledged Nair's stellar performances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024/25, where he scored 752 runs in 7 innings with five centuries. This included scores of 112*, 44*, 163*, 111*, 112, 122*, and 88*, and he remained not out in most innings a world record for the most runs in a tournament without being dismissed.
In the second semi-final against Maharashtra at Baroda's Kotambi Stadium, Karun smashed an unbeaten 88 off just 44 balls, helping Karnataka post a massive 380. Karnataka has now qualified for the final and will face Vidarbha on Saturday.
Nair last played for India in 2017 and is remembered for his historic triple century against England in 2016. Recently, he was picked by Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2025 auction for ₹50 lakh.
India’s squad for the Champions Trophy 2025:
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh.
