Chopra believes Shreyas Iyer‘s appointment as captain indicates that the selectors are preparing for Iyer’s comeback to Tests at Nair’s expense. Former India opener Aakash Chopra thinks Karun Nair’s Test career may be ended after India A left him out of their 15-man squad for the two-match multi-day series against Australia A.
Iyer has excelled across forms in recent years. The 30-year-old guided Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their first IPL victory in a decade in 2024 and Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the 2025 final, where they lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Iyer could make a red-ball comeback despite not being selected for the five-match Test series in England or the Asia Cup 2025. He has scored 480 runs in his previous seven Ranji Trophy innings at 68.57 and 90.2. He played his last Test in February 2024.
“Shreyas Iyer captains India A in multi-day matches against Australia A.
Vice-captain Dhruv Jurel. Abhimanyu Easwaran is no longer captain. He is a teammate but not captain. In recent tours, there has always been a new skipper. Recently, leadership has been musical chairs, Chopra stated on YouTube.
Why did Shreyas become captain? Because Tests’ No.3 and No.6 places are open. The squad includes Sai Sudharsan and Easwaran, but not Karun Nair. This is a huge step since Karun requested a second chance and got one. He was moved up and down the batting order and did good. I expected Karun Nair in the West Indies series.”
Nair returned to Tests after eight years during the England series this year but failed to impress. In eight innings, he scored 205 runs at 25.62. Despite starting, he struggled to score large, failing to match his prolific domestic form.
India will host West Indies and South Africa for two Tests in October and November, but Chopra doubts Nair will play.
It appears Karun Nair won’t play again. He is available. It appears that the selectors overlooked Karun Nair despite his fitness. Shreyas intrigues. He was not selected for the Asia Cup, causing controversy. “He now leads India A,” stated Chopra.
Shreyas will likely play two of the three formats based on the Indian team’s next several assignments. He plays ODIs, so I suppose he’ll play Tests against the West Indies and South Africa. I think he’ll score on Indian pitches. The door opened wonderfully for him.”
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