"Got a 50 when no one else scored” - Team India batter makes massive statement after being dropped for IND vs WI 2025 Tests

England v India - 5th Rothesay Test Match: Day One - Source: Getty
India dropped one of their stars from the Oval Test for the West Indies series [Credit: Getty]

Veteran batter Karun Nair expressed his disappointment at being dropped from the Indian squad for the upcoming Test series at home against the West Indies. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced the 15-member roster for the two-match series on Thursday, September 25.

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Nair made a stunning comeback into the Indian Test side for the recent tour of England after an eight-year absence since 2017. However, he failed to convert several starts in the first three Tests in the UK, resulting in his dropping for the fourth Test.

Yet, the Karnataka batter returned to the 11 for the series finale at the Oval and top-scored for the visitors with a crucial 57 in the first innings. While he scored only 17 in the second innings, India pulled off a memorable six-run win to level the five-match series 2-2.

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Hours after being excluded from the Test squad for the West Indies, Nair told TOI:

"You should probably ask the selectors on what they're thinking. Only thing is, in the last Test match also, I got a 50 when no one else scored in the first inning. So, yeah, I thought I contributed to the team and especially in the last game that we won. But yeah, it is what it is. Those things don't matter."
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He continued:

"Yes, I did expect the selection. I don't know what to say. No words. I don't have any much comments to make. It's very difficult for me to answer."

Despite his half-century in the final Test, Nair endured a largely underwhelming series in England, averaging 25.62 in four games.

"I'm just going to play Ranji Trophy" - Karun Nair

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Karun Nair further stated his commitment to playing in the Ranji Trophy after his exclusion from the national side. The 33-year-old scored runs for fun during the last Indian domestic season across formats to come back into the Test side.

However, with the Test side in transition under new captain Shubman Gill, Nair, at 33, might struggle to make another comeback.

"There's nothing much I can say. There's nothing much that I can do to change anything. So, yeah, I just have to keep going. At least from my point of view, not from others' point of view. In my head, I'm very clear. I did my best they have made the decision and you have to respect that. Now I'm just going to play Ranji Trophy," Nair said (via the aforementioned source).

Nair is one of only two Indians to score a triple century in Test cricket, achieving the feat in only the third Test of his career in Chennai in 2016. He has played 10 red-ball games for India, averaging 41.35 with a century and a half-century.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran
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