Karun Nair’s Comeback Cut Short with a Duck in First Test against England
Karun Nair returned to the Indian Test team after several years, but his first innings back was disappointing. On Day 2 of the first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds, Nair, who had not played in a Test match since 2017, faced four balls without scoring.
His return was marked by a spectacular catch from England’s Ollie Pope, who managed to remove Nair at short cover with a well-timed leap. As a result, Nair had to leave the field without adding anything to the scoreboard, ending his comeback on a low note.
Interestingly, Nair had been dropped from the team during the 2018 tour of England, but he fought his way back into the squad through impressive performances in domestic cricket. The 33-year-old recently played a critical role in helping Vidarbha win the Ranji Trophy for the 2024-25 season, finishing as the fourth-highest run-scorer with 863 runs from 16 innings at an average of 53.93, including four centuries and two fifties.
Additionally, Nair excelled in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he was the highest run-scorer with 779 runs in just eight innings, boasting an incredible average of 389.50 and a strike rate of 124.04, which included five centuries and one fifty. He also led his team in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scoring 255 runs in six innings at an average of 42.50 and a strike rate of 177.08. His performances clearly showed his eagerness to return to the international stage.
On Day 2, India found themselves in a strong position thanks to a solid partnership between Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant, who added 209 runs for the fourth wicket, pushing India’s total beyond 430 runs. Unfortunately, after their dismissals, Nair and Shardul Thakur fell quickly, and India was at 454/7 at lunch.
The journey continues for Nair as he aims for better fortunes moving forward.
