On May 24, Karun Nair was welcomed back by the Indian board for a Test match. It has been eight years since he returned to international cricket. Still, Mumbai batsman Sarfaraz Khan was left out and did not cut the final team of 18. Sarfaraz Khan has not been picked this time according to Ajit Agarkar. Agarkar explained that the committee chose their team considering the pressure of competition to avoid seeming unfair towards any member of the squad.
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Sarfraz’s Performance
You may remember that Sarfaraz Khan took the field against England for the first time in a Test in 2024. After six Test matches, his average is just above 40, with a total of 371 runs. Sarfaraz made a century in the first match of the home series against New Zealand. After that, he found it tough to add to his runs in the series. India suffered a loss by 0-3 in the series. Sarfaraz Khan was not part of the squad chosen for the Test series in Australia.
Nair’s performance
What is remarkable is that Karun Nair has amassed 690 runs in only 10 games for Vidarbha this season. His influence helped Vidarbha win the Ranji Trophy title in 2024-25. He ranked fourth in the team for season scoring. While there, he made 863 runs in 16 matches at 53.93 runs per match, with four hundred-run innings and two half-centuries. In the past, he involved himself in leading the team to the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He went on to top the scoring table in the competition. The 33-year-old has smashed 779 runs in 8 games, averaging 389.50 and having a strike rate of 124.04. He impressed in county cricket too. He is on the Delhi Capitals’ team for IPL 2025.
