“We can’t give everyone 15-20 Tests” - Ajit Agarkar gives brutal reason for dropping batter from IND vs WI 2025 Tests

Team India chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained the decision to drop Karun Nair from the Test squad for the upcoming two-match series against the West Indies at home. The veteran batter did not retain his place in the side after making an inspired comeback during the England tour, a couple of months back.

Karun Nair's exceptional 2024-25 domestic campaign, coupled with the retirements of senior Indian players, earned him a recall into the Test side after seven years for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. The right-handed batter was slotted into the playing XI straightaway, but could not make a resounding impact while constantly shuffling in the middle-order.

He was dropped for the fourth Test at Old Trafford after accumulating a slew of starts in the first half of the series. The batter earned a recall for the series finale at The Oval, where he scored a crucial first-innings fifty to bolster India's chances. However, it proved to be too little, too late as the selectors have moved on to new options.

Agarkar admitted that Nair underperformed in England, and the team cannot afford to award more chances in such a competitive environment.

“Unfortunately, we can’t give everyone 15–20 Test matches. We had expected more from Karun in England," Agarkar said during the press conference in Dubai (via Times of India).

Karun Nair scored 205 runs in four Tests against England at an average of 25.63. He is currently featuring in a KSCA tournament, where he scored an unbeaten 151 in the second innings to guide the KSCA Secretary's XI to a six-wicket win over Goa.

With Karun Nair dropped from the side, the team have called up the in-form Devdutt Padikkal to the squad instead to reinforce the middle order.

"The New Zealand home series was a wake-up call"- Ajit Agarkar wants India to capitalise on home Tests

The Test series against West Indies kickstarts India's home season, which also features an assignment against South Africa, as far as red-ball cricket is concerned. The Shubman Gill-led side made a decent start to the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle with a 2-2 series result in England. However, to maintain a place in the top two, they have to be ruthless at home.

“Because of the WTC, every series becomes important. The New Zealand home series was a wake-up call. All series are critical, we want to get as many points as possible, particularly at home. We don’t want what happened in the New Zealand series to be repeated," Agarkar said.

The first Test against the West Indies is scheduled to begin on October 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.