India middle order batsman Karun Nair has no clue what has happened to his Test career. He started his red-ball career by smashing a triple century against England in the 2016 Chennai Test but lost his place once the player he had replaced – Ajinkya Rahane – regained his fitness.
At that point in Indian cricket, there was a clear policy of fit players walking right back into the team irrespective of what their replacements had done.
Karun played three more Tests in 2017 before finding himself out of the playing XI, even though he remained part of the Test plans.
The Karnataka batsman was part of the original squad for the England Test tour but didn’t get to play a single Test.
In the final match of the series with India already on the losing side 3-1 down, Nair failed to make the cut even as late replacement Hanuma Vihari made his debut and went on to score a fifty and also picked up three wickets in a losing cause.
Now the Indian selectors have omitted him from the Test plans completely, not selecting him for the two-Test series against West Indies which begins in India in four days.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Nair said he never had any interaction with the Indian team management regarding his continued exclusion.
“We haven’t had any conversations. Nothing at all. It is difficult, but I haven’t gone forth and asked anything, but yeah, we haven’t had any conversation,” Nair said.
Hanuma Vihari had a great Oval Test.
Nair said he spent most of the time working on his fitness with the team’s fitness trainer Shanker Basu.
“I’ve been spending a lot of time with [Shanker] Basu sir, our trainer, and Sanjay Bangar sir as well, our batting coach. Obviously a lot of throwdowns and net sessions.
“But mainly I have been spending time with Basu sir. According to him, I am the fittest person in the team right now. I am very proud of that and I just want to keep improving on that.”
No matter how fit he is, the fact is the 26-year-old is not part of the Test set up and the team has moved on to new players.
But the question to be asked is – is it fair to drop a batsman after he has scored a triple ton, then judge him on the basis of three Tests before excluding him from the team?
And then pick him in the squad only to not give him a single opportunity thereafter?
Karun has every right to be angry at the way he has been treated. He is a technically sound batsman who has been sidelined without any reason.
“It is difficult, naturally for a human being, it’s difficult to handle that situation. But the team management and everyone else involved make a decision, and me as a player has to accept it,” he said in the interview.
Those are words of a player who is clueless as to what he did wrong. If the Indian management doesn’t want him anymore, the least they can do is be clear about it.
