Time may be running out for Karun Nair, but South Zone captain Tilak Varma has explained why the experienced domestic batter was left out of the playing XI for the Duleep Trophy semi-final against North Zone. South Zone secured a place in the final with a convincing seven-wicket victory over North Zone. However, the biggest talking point surrounding their selection was the decision to leave out Nair, one of the most prolific batters on the Indian domestic circuit.

Varma described the decision as an “unlucky” and “unfortunate” moment for Nair. The South Zone captain opted to include Kodimeal Himateja in the middle order instead, primarily because of the presence of North Zone’s left-arm spinners. Himateja, a left-handed batter, was expected to provide greater variety to the batting line-up.

The decision did not immediately pay off. Himateja was dismissed for a duck in South Zone’s first innings, while he was not required to bat in the second innings as his team comfortably chased down the target.

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Nair’s omission was particularly notable given his impressive First-Class record. The experienced batter has accumulated 9,374 runs in First-Class cricket at an average of 49.33, making his exclusion from such an important knockout fixture a significant call for the South Zone management.

Explaining his decision after the match, Varma said: “Karun is just unlucky. He has scored a lot of runs in domestic seasons. I have chosen Himateja in place of Karun as they have good left-arm spinners. So we wanted a leftie in the middle order. He has also scored a decent amount of runs in domestic cricket. I was just backing him. As a youngster, he also has a good career. At the same time, it is very unfortunate for Karun,” Tilak Varma said, as quoted by RevSportz.

Varma’s faith in the 24-year-old Himateja was based on his recent domestic performances. The Adilabad-born batter has scored 1,008 runs in 15 matches and 23 innings at an average of 45.81, including five half-centuries and two centuries.

Himateja had also produced several impressive performances in the TG20 League for Anvita Khammam Aces before the Duleep Trophy knockout stage. He registered an unbeaten century against Falcons and followed it with an unbeaten 80 against Knights on July 1.

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While his inclusion failed to produce runs in the Duleep Trophy semi-final, Varma’s own performance proved decisive. After facing criticism for a difficult run of form with India, the left-hander responded with a crucial century.

Varma scored 116 runs from 250 balls in the first innings, rescuing South Zone after they struggled against a strong North Zone bowling attack featuring Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar and Anshul Kamboj. His century ultimately played a key role in South Zone’s seven-wicket victory and qualification for the Duleep Trophy final.