TV
Prolific domestic batter Karun Nair was dropped from the playing XI for the fourth Test against England and his hopes to continue in Indian Test squad took a hit. Karun was replaced by Sai Sudharsan.
Following a long lay-off of eight years from international cricket, Nair returned to the Indian National Cricket Team, thanks to some brilliant batting in the Ranji Trophy season. His inclusion in the team was quickly validated with a double century in the India A tour match before the series. However, his return was marred by underwhelming performances, as he managed just 131 runs from six innings at an average of 21.83, without scoring a single half-century.
Subsequently, the team management decided to exclude him from the squad for the Manchester Test.
In response, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar shared his thoughts on Nair’s heartfelt tweet from December 2022, where he pleaded for another opportunity to 'Dear Cricket'. Manjrekar stated that while cricket did offer Nair another shot at proving his worth, he couldn’t seize the opportunity when it came.
"It was an emotional moment when he asked, ‘Dear Cricket, give me another chance.’ Cricket did offer him that chance, but sadly, he couldn’t catch it. Now, with Sai Sudharsan returning, that’s the situation. It’s great to see Sai Sudharsan back, as I had felt he should have been part of the second Test too," said Manjrekar.
At this stage of his career, it will now be difficult for Karun to play in the longest format of the game again.
