“Karun is playing well but…”: Ajit Agarkar reflects on Nair missing out from India’s CT 2025 squad

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 18 (ANI): The Men’s Selection Committee Chairman Ajit Agarkar, opened up on batter Karun Nair missing out from Team India’s 15-member Champions Trophy squad.

Ajit Agarkar and skipper Rohit Sharma held a press conference on Saturday to announce the 15-member squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 and ODI series against England.

Nair is the top-run-getter in the team so far at the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25, having accumulated a massive 752 runs in seven matches at a mind-boggling average of 752.00 as he has remained unbeaten in six innings. Even after his stupendous performance in domestic cricket, the 33-year-old failed to find a spot in the 15-member squad.

Speaking at the press conference, Agarkar said that Nair is playing well but “it was difficult for him” to get a place in the Men in Blue squad for the ICC event.

“Karun Nair is playing well but it was difficult for him to get a place in this team,” Agarkar told reporters.

The 33-year-old has also scored five centuries and a fifty in the competition, with the best score of 163*. His strike rate is 125.96.

In the semifinal against Maharashtra on Thursday, Nair made a quickfire 88* in 44 balls, with nine fours and five sixes to guide Vidarbha to a match-winning total of 380 runs. Maharashtra could only make 311/7.

This strong performance in the tournament has earned Nair acclaim from the cricketing fraternity and fans alike, with many demanding he gets another call to the Indian team. Having last played for India in March 2017, Nair was the only Test triple centurion for India after legendary opener Virender Sehwag.

In six Tests for India since his debut in 2016, he made 374 runs in seven innings at an average of 62.33, with best score of 303*. Nair also played two ODIs for India, scoring 46 runs with best score of 39.

The freshest challenge awaiting India is the ICC Champions Trophy, starting from February 19 till March 9. It will be hosted by Pakistan and UAE, with India playing its matches in UAE under a hybrid model.

The eight-team tournament will feature 15 50-over matches and will be played across Pakistan and in Dubai. The biggest match of the tournament between two arch-rivals India and Pakistan will be played on February 23. India will start its campaign against Bangladesh on February 20. India’s last league match will be against New Zealand on March 2. The Rohit Sharma-led side will play all their matches in Dubai

India squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja.