India and Vidarbha batsman Karun Nair is in very good form in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy (India’s domestic 50-over tournament). Nair currently has a staggering average of 752 points in the tournament and has been eliminated just once.
His consistency prompted the national selectors to consider him for inclusion in India’s Champions Trophy squad. However, former India cricketer Dinesh Karthik has different ideas and feels that the Champions Trophy squad is ready.
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Dinesh Karthik breaks silence, announces Karun Nair’s selection for Champions Trophy
In a show on Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik took a look at Karun Nair’s recent batting performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Very impressed with him. However, he believes that the Indian ODI lineup is basically ready and there will not be any unexpected changes, thus ruling out the possibility of Nair joining.
“Karun Nair, it’s unreal to see the form you are in now. Even Mayank Agarwal has had some very good form. But the beauty is that it comes at a stage when India’s ODI body is almost ready .Can’t change much,” Karthik said.
Karthik believes Nair pushed the selectors to consider him for the Champions Trophy. However, he has not ruled out the possibility given that he is an excellent player with both pace and spin.
“Yes, it is very tempting to bring Karun Nair in and I think he has earned the right to be part of the negotiations. But I don’t think he will make it into the Champions League squad,” Karthik commented.
“But if he continues like this, why not? A batsman like that, who bowls with great pace and good spin, he is a gunner and I am very happy for him,” he added.
Karun Nair’s crazy performance in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025
Karun Nair has scored 752 runs in seven innings so far at an average of 752 and an incredible strike rate of 125.96. In eight games, he scored five hundreds and fifty.
In the only game in which he did not score a fifty, he scored an unbeaten 44 against Chhattisgarh. It was also his lowest score so far this season. Recently, he scored 88 runs in just 44 balls in the semi-final against Maharashtra to lead Vidarbha into the final.
Vidarbha will now face Nair’s former domestic team Karnataka in the final. Karun Nair looked smooth throughout the game against the pacers and spinners. He used all his experience to make a strong claim to be part of India’s Champions Trophy team.
India Champions Trophy 2025 Schedule
India will begin their Champions Trophy 2025 series against Bangladesh on February 19 in Dubai. The Men in Blue will play Pakistan in a high-pressure clash at the same venue on February 23.
India’s last match will be against New Zealand on March 2. India will play all their matches in Dubai in hybrid mode. The Indian government did not allow BCCI to send a team to Pakistan.