Karun Nair had long yearned for one more opportunity in Indian Test cricket—and when it came, he received not just one, but three consecutive matches to prove himself. Unfortunately for the Karnataka batter, that dream return has ended in disappointment, at least for now. Heading into the fourth Test of the ongoing series against England, India rang in three changes.
Karun Nair, who failed to make a strong impression with the bat, was dropped in favour of the young and technically sound Sai Sudharsan. Nair’s highest score across his three innings was a modest 40 in the first innings at Lord’s—his only notable contribution since his much-anticipated comeback.
WATCH – Yashasvi Jaiswal’s Bat Handle Snaps In Dramatic Fashion During Fourth Test
His recall had raised plenty of expectations, especially after years of consistent performances on the domestic circuit and the retirement of stalwarts like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. However, those expectations quickly gave way to concern as Karun Nair struggled to assert himself on challenging English pitches.
With an average of just over 21 from six innings, critics and fans alike began to question whether the selectors had missed a trick by not investing earlier in younger talents like Sudharsan, who, despite a brief debut outing, showed promise. Also missing from India’s fourth Test XI are Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep, both sidelined due to injury.
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In their places, India brought in experienced campaigner Shardul Thakur and handed a debut to promising pacer Anshul Kamboj. As for Karun Nair, while the door may not be completely shut, the road back into the Indian Test side looks steeper than ever. With competition fierce and young talent pushing through, he’ll have to produce something extraordinary in the domestic circuit once again to knock on the national selectors’ door.
Disappointed not to see Karun Nair in the XI today. But with the talent pool India has, and him getting 3 chances, maybe that was it. Unfortunate, but fair. Don’t think he’ll get another go. Thank you for that unforgettable triple ton, Karun. 💔🙏 #KarunNair
— Navaldeep Singh (@NavalGeekSingh) July 23, 2025
Feel for Karun Nair that he’s been dropped but for him to make a comeback once again from here will be very difficult.
He should feel lucky that he got to play 3 Test matches and I think maybe that was it.#KarunNair #ENGvIND #INDvsENG pic.twitter.com/7dATrwhsm8
— Saabir Zafar (@Saabir_Saabu01) July 23, 2025
KARUN NAIR DROPPED FROM 4TH TEST.
– 14(33), 40(62), 26(46), 31(50), 20(54) & 0(4).
India gives three matches to Karun Nair. But he not plays big Innings & dropped from 4th test. pic.twitter.com/uXcrNlIKS7
— VIKAS (@Vikas662005) July 23, 2025
End of Karun Nair’s test career. Don’t know if it’s harsh. But he certainly can’t complain much having got 6 chances on great batting pitches and not being able to make it count even once. At 32-33, there’s no likelihood for more chances now.
— Aditya Joshipura (@absurd_random) July 23, 2025
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Anshul Kamboj
England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer
