'Karun Nair, you're shooting yourself in the foot': Lord's Test may be 33-year-old's farewell match for India, feel fans
Karun Nair's failure to score even a single fifty in four innings can place him in a do-or-die situation, believe fans.
Karun Nair is not doing himself any favours. On Day 4 of the 2nd Test between India and England at Edgbaston, the comeback man of Indian cricket, as he is fondly known, Nair threw away another start, getting out for 26 off 46 balls. Nair looked unconvincing from the very start, edging multiple deliveries and getting hit on the helmet, and eventually perished edging Brydon Carse to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.
This is now the fourth inning and third start Nair has failed to capitalise on. After starting the tour with a duck in the first innings at Leeds, Nair scored 20 while batting at No. 6 on both instances. Fast forward to the Edgbaston Test, Nair was promoted to bat at No. 3, in place of the dropped Sai Sudharsan. But here, too, things didn't improve. Nair showed promise both times, scoring a crisp 31 off 50 balls featuring five boundaries before he was undone by a delivery that bounced out of nowhere. In the second dig, with India looking to get quick runs, Nair looked uncomfortable before Carse ended his stay at the wicket.
With yet another low score, the prospect of Nair getting another game looks tough. More worrying is the fact that on pitches where India have scored five centuries and a double hundred, Nair hasn't gone past fifty even once. And at 33, with guys like Sudharsan and Dhruv Jurel waiting, Nair may simply not be given another opportunity in the Lord's Test starting July 10. Fans, for one, however, are convinced that Nair could well have played his last match for India. And even if he hasn't, some want the Lord's game to be his farewell.
Below are some of the reactions from fans:
Karun Nair reflects on his India comeback
When Nair was named in India’s Playing XI at Leeds, it marked his first Test match since 2017. Irrespective of where his career goes from here, Nair was grateful he could get back into the scheme of things. From starting at 6 at Headingley to moving up the order in Birmingham, Nair dropped the cliched ‘I am ready to bat anywhere’ statement, but you couldn’t help but feel he likes No.3 just that tad bit more.
“It’s been amazing. It’s what I’ve dreamed of so to finally be here and get this opportunity feels amazing. I’m just trying to embrace this moment and take it one day at a time. I’ve always been prepared to bat at any position the team wants me to, and I was told a couple of days ago when we arrived for practice here at Edgbaston that there would be a probability that I would play at 3. So I was mentally very well prepared to go out there and bat at 3. I’ve always enjoyed setting up the game,” he said.
