ENG vs IND 2025: Top 5 most matches missed between two Tests for India ft. Karun Nair

The highly anticipated India-England Test series is underway, with Day 1 of the first Test at Leeds starting Friday, June 20. Among the various headlines that have dominated the build-up to the England tour, Karun Nair's comeback story takes the honors.

The 33-year-old famously scored a triple century against England in his third Test outing in Chennai. However, he was dropped after enduring low scores in his next three Tests.

Eight years and a truckload of runs in domestic cricket later, Nair is back in the playing XI for the ongoing opening Test against England. The Vidarbha batter isn't the first from India to miss a lengthy period between Tests. Several others have endured an even longer wait between Test appearances due to injury or axing from the side on poor form.

On that note, let us look at the top five for matches missed between Test appearances among Indian players.

#1 Jaydev Unadkat - 118

Jaydev Unadkat waited for over a decade to return to the Test side [Credit: Getty]

Left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat debuted in Tests at just 19 in the tour of South Africa in 2010. However, he instantly discovered the hardships of international cricket as the Proteas took him down for 101 in 26 overs without a wicket.

An innings defeat in the contest meant Unadkat was dropped from the side for the next outing. The 33-year-old waited 12 years and 118 Tests before his return to India's red-ball side for the Bangladesh tour at the end of the 2022 season.

Unadkat played two more Tests against the West Indies the following year (2023) before being excluded from the red-ball setup. The veteran has played four Tests, picking up three wickets at a woeful average of 77.

#2 Dinesh Karthik - 87

Dinesh Karthik had a forgettable return to the Test side in 2018 [Credit: Getty]

Former wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik is second on the list of most matches missed between Tests among Indian players. The 40-year-old debuted in Tests against Australia in the home series in 2004.

Despite mixed results with the bat, Karthik featured in the Indian Test side until the 2010 season. However, he was dropped after the Bangladesh tour that year after an extended run of poor form.

Karthik returned to the Test setup after 87 games, and eight years later in the five-Test series in England in 2018. Yet, he struggled massively, with only 21 runs in the first two Tests at an average of 5.25 as the Asian giants went down 0-2.

Karthik was dropped for the third Test and never played a red-ball game for India from that point. He finished his Test career with 1,025 runs in 26 matches at an average of 25.

#3 Parthiv Patel - 83

Parthiv Patel was a teenager when he debuted in Tests [Credit: Getty]

Another wicketkeeper batter, Parthiv Patel, endured a long wait for a comeback into the Test side. The left-hander debuted in Tests at just 17 in the 2002 tour of England.

Like Karthik, Parthiv played several Tests for India until 2008, when he was dropped after a poor outing in Sri Lanka. However, as his hopes of playing Tests seemed done, the gloveman returned to the Test side for the home series against England in 2016.

Having gone 83 Tests without playing, Parthiv made his return count with two half-centuries in his next four innings. Yet, he was again relegated to the bench for a year before playing his final two Tests in the 2018 South African tour.

After four consecutive sub-20 scores on the tour, Parthiv was left out of India's Test setup. He finished his red-ball career with 934 runs in 25 matches, averaging 31.13.

#4 Karun Nair - 77

33-year-old Karun Nair is fourth on this list, having missed India's last 77 Tests before the ongoing Leeds outing. The right-hander last played a Test in the home series against Australia in 2017.

However, the veteran batter forced his way back into the reckoning with a stellar 2024-25 Ranji season, where he scored 863 runs at an average of almost 54 in nine matches. Nair will likely bat at No.6 for India in the Leeds Test.

His Test numbers remain impressive, with an average of 62.33 in six matches before the Leeds contest.

#5 Abhinav Mukund - 56

Abhinav Mukund could not replicate his domestic success in the international arena [Credit: Getty]

Tamil Nadu's Abhinav Mukund rounds off the list, having missed 56 matches between Tests during his international career. The southpaw debuted in Tests in the West Indies in 2011. Despite a few notable scores, Mukund was dropped later that year after five games.

He made a surprising return six years later in India's 2017 home series against Australia. However, Mukund was dropped for good after two matches despite scoring 81 in his last innings against Sri Lanka.

Yet, his overall Test record is disappointing, with an average of under 23 in seven outings.