After Virat Kohli declared his retirement from the longest format on Monday, May 12, the renowned Anil Kumble suggested Karun Nair as the best option to bat at No. 4 in Test cricket.
India’s next task is to play England in a five-match Test series in the UK. The World Test Championship (WTC) 2025–2027 cycle begins with the series. India’s batting attack will look different now that players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have announced their retirements.
Because he has played county cricket and is familiar with the circumstances, Anil Kumble believes Nair, who last represented India in March 2017, might perform well against England.
“With his recent domestic run, Karun deserves to rejoin the Indian squad. He might thus be India’s number four since, in my opinion, you need some experience. Someone in England has been there and completed that task. He is aware of the conditions because he has played county cricket. Karun is still young even though he is past the age of thirty. There will be much more hope for young people to play first-class cricket if he is given the chance. It becomes somewhat of a struggle if the exceptional performance in domestic cricket is not acknowledged, Anil Kumble said ESPNcricinfo.
It’s interesting to note that at Chennai’s storied MA Chidambaram Stadium, Nair recorded his highest Test score of 303 not out against England.
India is likely to select Karun Nair. A group
As the season’s fourth-highest run scorer, Nair was instrumental in Vidarbha’s victory in the Ranji Trophy 2024–25. At an average of 53.93, he amassed 863 runs from 16 innings, including two fifties and four hundreds. With five hundreds and one fifty, he amassed 779 runs from eight innings at an incredible average of 389.50 and a strike rate of 124.04, making him the best run scorer in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Additionally, the right-handed batsman had an outstanding performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
As he is reportedly in line to be selected in the India A team, which will play the England Lions in two four-day matches during the May-June window in preparation for the five-match Test series against England, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to reward his outstanding domestic cricket performances. If Nair does well in these games, he might be able to join the starting lineup.
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