Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has showered praise on Karun Nair for his impressive performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. However, Chopra questioned if it would have been fair to pick Karun Nair in the Champions Trophy squad based on his performances in just one tournament.
Nair amassed 779 runs with five hundreds in the Vijay Hazare trophy and guided Vidarbha to the final of the tournament.
The right-hander scored his runs at an average of 389.50 in eight innings. Karun Nair also had a good run in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024, scoring 255 runs in six matches at an average of 42.50 and an impressive strike rate of 177.08.
Chopra noted that the likes of KL Rahul and Shubman Gill have performed consistently in the ODI format and thus they could not have been dropped.
“There is an ongoing crusade that Karun Nair should have been in the team. Since he has scored so many runs, he said he is not knocking at the door but just breaking it down. I saw somewhere where it was said that KL Rahul should be dropped. He has an average of 58 at Nos. 4 and 5. He played well in the World Cup,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“Someone said Shubman Gill should be dropped. It’s a joke going on that someone who has been performing consistently should be kicked out and someone else should be brought in. Karun Nair’s one-year Vijay Hazare performance has been outstanding. Such performances should definitely be noticed but are you going to pick someone based on one Vijay Hazare performance? Will it be right as it’s just one tournament?” Chopra added.
The renowned commentator lauded Nair for producing exceptional numbers in 2024 in the domestic circuit.
“I tried to find out how his numbers have been. 2024-25 has been exceptional. He has scored 779 runs in nine matches at an average of 389.50, in which he has struck five centuries. He took the team to the final,” he said.
However, Chopra noted that Nair had decent numbers in the 2023 season.
“However, how was his 2023-2024? He scored 230 runs in seven innings, which is okay. He has a good average of 46.00, as he remained not out twice. He wasn’t there at all in 2022-23 as he got dropped from Karnataka. He had almost left cricket but the family asked him to play by going to a different place and finding new pastures,” Chopra observed.
India will begin their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on February 20.
