"Feel bad for him" - Fans react as Karun Nair perishes after getting another start in 2025 ENG vs IND 3rd Test

Fans expressed their thoughts on Karun Nair's failure to convert his start into a big knock in the third Test fixture against England at Lord's on Friday, July 11. Although it was Nair's finest knock in the series, he was criticized for not being able to provide substantial contributions despite being well-set.

Karun Nair arrived at the crease at a crucial juncture, when the visitors lost Yashasvi Jaiswal (13) in the second over. The right-hander carefully negotiated the English bowling unit and was steering the team well along with KL Rahul.

With Nair looking in good touch, many expected him to continue his momentum. However, Ben Stokes induced the edge of the veteran batter, and Joe Root plucked a stunning one-handed catch at the slips.

As a result, Nair was dismissed on 40 off 62 and reduced India to 74/2 in the 21st over. It is worth noting that it was his second-best knock in Test cricket, with a 303*-run innings against England in 2016 at the top.

Fans were not impressed by Karun Nair's knock, and they reacted with their comments on X (formerly Twitter). One of them wrote:

"Karun Nair can't catch a break man, it's not his mistake. The catches and the balls he gets out will get 99/100 people out. Actually feel bad for him."

Here are the other reactions:

"Karun Nair was batting quite well & a 100 here could have give his Test career a 2nd life but sadly another score of 30-40 with Root's stunner, it won't help him to get selected in next series. Best of luck to him for next few tests, as he will play in them with today's knock," a fan posted.

"Right, off with Karun Nair. Keeps getting in, and then getting out. If you're not set after playing 50-60 balls in every innings, you're not cut out for this level. Enough opportunities, now let's move on," another wrote.

"Sadly Karun Nair ain't it...another classic case of being a prolific run scorer in domestic cricket doesn't guarantee that you will succeed in international cricket," a fan tweeted.

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Sanjay Manjrekar called for Karun Nair's exclusion in ENG vs IND 3rd Test

During an interaction on ESPNCricinfo, former batter Sanjay Manjrekar advocated for Sai Sudharsan's inclusion in India's XI for the Lord's Test. He opined that it was unfair for Sudharsan to get dropped only after a solitary appearance, and finds him better suited at No. 3 than Karun Nair.

Manjrekar said (via Hindustan Times):

“But I would like to see Sai Sudharsan at number three. Karun Nair is not a number-three player in my book. It is unfair to drop him after one Test if everyone is getting big hundreds. I think Sai deserves that opportunity as well."

Notably, Sai Sudharsan returned with knocks of 0 & 20 in the first Test at Headingley and was not included in the next two games. It will be interesting to see if he replaces Karun Nair in the remaining fixtures.