Team India and Vidarbha player Karun Nair is in really good form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (India's domestic 50-over tournament). Nair currently has an impressive average of 752 in the tournament and has been dismissed just once.
His consistency prompted the national selectors to consider including him in the India Champions Trophy squad. However, former Indian cricketer Dinesh Karthik has other ideas and feels the Champions Trophy team is almost ready to go.
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Dinesh Karthik breaks silence on Karun Nair's inclusion in the Champions Trophy
During a segment on Cricbuzz, Dinesh Karthik highlighted Karun Nair's recent batting form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and was extremely impressed by it. However, he feels that the Indian ODI squad is almost ready and will not see any sudden changes, hence ruling out the possibility of including Nair.
“Karun Nair, it's been unreal to see the form you've been at. Even Mayank Agarwal has been in really good form. But what's nice is that it's coming at a stage where India's ODI setup is almost ready to take off. It can't be too much,” Karthik said. Of the changes.”
Karthik feels that Nair has prompted the selectors to consider him for the Champions Trophy. However, he has not ruled out the possibility since he is a great player with pace and spin.
“Yes, it is very tempting to bring Karun Nair into the mix, and I think he has earned the right to be part of the talks. But I don't think he will make it into the Champions Trophy squad.”
“But if he continues like this, why not? A batsman like that plays fast and spins well. He is a weapons player, and I am very happy for him,” he added.
Karun Nair's crazy numbers in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025
Karun Nair has scored 752 runs in seven innings so far at an average of 752 runs and an incredible strike rate of 125.96. In eight matches, he scored five hundred and fifty goals.
In the only innings when he did not score a fifty, he scored an unbeaten 44 against Chhattisgarh. It is also his lowest score of the season so far. He recently scored 88 off just 44 balls in the semi-final against Maharashtra to take Vidarbha to the final.
Vidarbha will now face Karnataka, Nair's former domestic team, in the final. Karun Nair has looked very fluent throughout the tournament against both pacers and spinners. He has used all his experience and made a strong claim to be part of the India Champions Trophy squad.
India Champions Trophy 2025 schedule
India will begin their 2025 Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh on February 19 in Dubai. The Men in Blue will next take on Pakistan in a high-voltage encounter on February 23 at the same ground.
India's final match will be against New Zealand on March 2. India will play all its matches in Dubai in the tournament, which is being hosted in a hybrid version. The Indian government did not allow BCCI to send their team to Pakistan.
