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A lot of anticipation is surrounding the declaration of the Indian squad for the ICC Champions Trophy. However, what will be missed this time is Karun Nair, who went on a record-breaking spree in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The absence of Nair has raised more questions than answers from the fans and cricketing experts about the selectors’ selection process.

Karun Nair’s Stellar Vijay Hazare Trophy Performance

The 33-year-old batter, Karun Nair, is the talk of the domestic circuit this season, which has seen him rack up 752 runs with an average of 752 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. His run includes five centuries that have stunned everyone, including cricketing legends—something like 163, 122, and his unbeaten 88 off just 44 deliveries that brought all-round admiration, including from none other than cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar.

Notable stats from the Vijay Hazare Trophy:

  • Total Runs: 752
  • Average: 752 (dismissed only once)
  • Hundreds: 5
  • Fifty: 1

Key Innings: 163*, 122*, Unbeaten 88 off 44 balls

Nair’s consistency and ability to dominate bowling attacks make his exclusion even more baffling, especially when the Indian team has been suffering from middle-order problems.

Former India coach WV Raman, however, feels that Karun Nair should feature in the starting XI if he makes it to the team. The 59-year-old said sitting on the bench for Nair, who doesn’t have much age on his side, would be of no purpose.

Ajit Agarkar’s Clarification

Questions about Nair’s omission are sure to dominate press conferences as India’s captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar come under the tough question. Agarkar stated, “Someone averages 700+, those are special performances. At the moment, finding a spot in this team is difficult”.

The decision to drop Karun Nair from the Champions Trophy squad is disappointing for him and along with Indian fans, despite his brilliant Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign. At the start of the tournament, if the Indian middle order fails to give a coherent performance, more and more people would look into the selector’s decision.

Indian Cricket Team Full Squad

Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, and Ravindra Jadeja.

The same squad for both the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and England series. Harshit Rana will play the England series in place of Jasprit Bumrah.

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