Karun Nair became only the second Indian after Virender Sehwag to smash a triple century in Test cricket with his 303 not out against England at Chennai in December 2016. This was only the second Test match and third innings of Nair's career. His triple hundred helped India win the Test and Nair's performance was hailed emphatically by the cricketing community.
Since that match, Nair has featured in three more Tests and played four innings with scores of 26, 0, 23 and 5. While it is understandable that he couldn't follow up his triple hundred with any significant performance but it is baffling that Nair has not played a Test for India since March 2017.
India's middle-order has been badly struggling overseas and they have been in desperate need of a solid batsman down the order. Nair has been in the squad for India in the ongoing Test series against England which they have already lost 1-3.
However, despite the mediocre performances by the middle-order in all the Tests, he has not been given an opportunity in a single match. What's more is that in the fifth Test at The Oval, Hanuma Vihari, who wasn't even part of the original squad for the first three Tests, has been drafted in.
For any active cricket enthusiast, this would seem rather odd. Why has India's second triple centurion only played 6 Tests so far? And why is he being discarded with such regularity and when badly India needs a solid batsman in the batting unit? Does Karun Nair deserve this treatment?
Former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar thinks not. "There is no argument that is going to ever satisfy me," Gavaskar said on Sony Six moments after the toss on the morning of the fifth Test at The Oval. "What has Karun Nair done not to get in? I know he has not been your favourite player. You don't want to pick him. He scores a triple hundred. You leave him out. He fails in a couple of games. You leave him out. You have brought him back in the team. It could be the selectors who have brought him back. The team management probably doesn't want him. And that's why they haven't given him the opportunity to play in this game."
Gavaskar's scathing words do have logic. Nair has been in good nick recently too. In the India A v West Indies A four-day games in July earlier this year, Nair had scores of 93 at Beckenham and 42 and 55 at Taunton. He is a solid batsman and has spent some quality time in England playing the longer format just a month back. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, the team management doesn't find him good enough to be in the playing eleven at present.
One hopes that Virat Kohli does not keep discarding Karun Nair away and the batsman does get his due opportunities he deserves sooner rather than later.
