“He was very lucky to make a comeback” - Amit Mishra’s stunning statement on Indian batter ahead of IND vs WI 2025 Tests

England v India - 5th Rothesay Test Match: Day One - Source: Getty
Team India has made several changes from the side that won the final Test in England [Credit: Getty]

Former Indian spinner Amit Mishra backed the selectors' decision to drop veteran batter Karun Nair from the 15-member squad for the upcoming home two-Test series against the West Indies. The 33-year-old made a comeback to the Indian red-ball side for the recent tour of England.

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Nair had not played for India in eight years, following the home series against Australia in 2017. However, the right-hander could not capitalize on his second opportunity in the England tour.

The Karnataka batter played in four out of the five Tests, scoring only 205 runs at an average of 25.62 with a lone half-century in eight innings.

Talking about Nair's exclusion after only a lone series on his comeback, Mishra said (via The Hawk):

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"He (Nair) was given a chance. I will say that he was very lucky to make a comeback in the Indian team at the age of 32, 33 or 34. It was an opportunity for him to do well. He played so many matches, but did not perform well. It happens that after a while, you have to look at the youngsters who are performing well. You have to give them a chance."
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Despite the lack of big scores, Nair played a key role in India's series-leveling win in the final Test of the England series at the Oval. The right-hander top-scored for India with a 109-ball 57 in their first innings total of 224.

"Sai Sudharsan is one of the players who will now get more chances" - Amit Mishra

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Amit Mishra believes India's move to provide youngsters with more opportunities should enable the talented Sai Sudharsan to prosper in the red-ball format. The southpaw made his Test debut in the England tour, scoring 140 runs at an average of 23.33 in three games.

"Sai Sudharsan is one of the players who will now get more chances, as per the thinking which is going in. The way he bats, his technique is good and plays well, takes time to get in and play his shots. So chances are being given to players like him and time is ripe to get more young players in the Test side who can turn out to be lambi race ka ghoda (ones for the long haul)," said Mishra (via the aforementioned source).

The India-West Indies two-Test series begins with the opener in Ahmedabad on October 2.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran
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