The exclusion of Karun Nair from India’s ODI squad for the upcoming three-match ODI against England and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has created a lot of controversy among cricket fans on social media. Now, India’s chief selector Ajit Agarkar has spoken about Nair’s exclusion from the Indian team.

Ajit Agarkar praised Karun Nair’s exceptional form in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25, where he had the best 50-over tournament he has ever seen. However, breaking Nair’s record was not enough, as India’s top selector only said that he cannot match the 33-year-old batsman in the current series.

The former Indian pacer highlighted the fierce competition within the Indian team, while discussing the non-selection of one of the most consistent players, Nair. However, Ajit Agarkar termed Karun Nair’s performance in the 50-over match as insane, as the right-handed batsman was red-handed with the bat.

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The right-handed batsman has so far scored an incredible 750+ runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25. The results were: 112*(108), 44*(52), 163*(107), 111*(103), 112*(101), 122*(82), and 88*(44), which shows consistency .

However, with only 15 places to enter the squad, Ajit Agarkar said the Indian selectors found it very difficult to get the Vidarbha captain in the ODI series, despite his efforts in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-2025.

We can’t match anyone: Ajit Agarkar on Karun Nair’s snub

Ajit Agarkar told reporters at a press conference: “Average 750+ is just insane. Actions like that don’t happen very often. However, with only 15 spots available, we can’t fit everyone.

However, India’s senior selectors revealed that Karun Nair is still on their radar and could be called up if an injury occurs during the match. Agarkar signed off saying, “He has given us attention. The conversation will be around him if someone is injured and there is a spot that is emerging in the team.”

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Earlier, even cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar appreciated Karun Nair’s performance in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25. Master Blaster has advised Nair to continue to promote and ensure every opportunity to retain his place in the Indian cricket team.

Sachin Tendulkar wrote on X: “Getting 752 runs in 7 innings and 5 years is nothing new, @karun126. Achievements like this don’t just happen; they come from sheer passion and hard work. Keep up the good work and give it every chance!”

Scoring 752 runs in 7 innings with 5 centuries is not uncommon, @karun126. Actions like this don’t just happen, they come from great passion and hard work. Keep up the good work and increase every opportunity!

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) January 17, 2025

Notably, Nair has so far represented India in 6 Tests and 2 ODIs and scored 374 and 64 runs, respectively, before being completely ignored by the national selectors. His last appearance for India was against Australia in the Dharamshala Test in 2017.

Since then, he has been improving domestic cricket but has not impressed the selectors enough to return to the Indian team. He currently has 7637 runs in 109 first-team matches and 3101 runs in 106 List-A matches to his name. Nair also scored 3462 runs in 163 T20 matches.