The chairman of the Indian senior national selection committee, MSK Prasad has said he had spoken at length to Karun Nair over his axing from the Test team for the upcoming two-match series against the West Indies.
Prasad also revealed his colleague Devang Gandhi had spoken to Nair during the recently-concluded England tour over why the Karnataka batsman was not being picked in the playing XI.
The former Indian wicketkeeper's comments come after Nair told Cricbuzz that neither the team management nor the selectors communicated what they expected of him during the England tour.
Nair's comments created a stir as the selection committee, headed by Prasad, had always taken pride in being clear and straightforward with their communication with players.
"I personally spoke to Karun soon after the selection of the Test Team against the West Indies and also told the ways to make a comeback. The selection committee is very very clear with regard to the communication process," Prasad told the Press Trust of India.
"Communication has always been the strong point of this committee. It's really tough to inform any unpleasant news to any player. You need to have valid reasons to explain them about their exclusion though they may not agree with it.
"Having said that we are very clear and candid in our communication process. My colleague Devang Gandhi spoke to Karun Nair at length in England to keep him motivated and wait for his opportunities."
The curious case of Nair
Nair had begun his Test career on a high as he went on to become only the second Indian batsman after Virender Sehwag to score a triple hundred in the longest format.
He had hit an unbeaten 303 as early as in his third Test and maiden series — against England in Chennai in December 2016.
Ever since he has played only three Tests for India. Notably, the 26-year-old was dropped from the XI for the match that followed the one where had scored the triple ton.
India persisted with limited-overs specialist Rohit Sharma in the middle-order for the tour of South Africa earlier this year. However, after successive failures, he was shown the door.
The selectors were seemingly clear with their decision on Rohit as he was not considered for the one-off Test against Afghanistan in June.
With Sharma continuing to be absent from the squad for the England tour, Nair was given the nod. However, the Karnataka batsman had to warm the benches throughout the five-Test series.
When there was room for change in the combination after India conceded an unassailable 3-1 lead in the Old Blighty, Nair was overlooked and Hyderabad batsman Hanuma Vihari was handed his Test debut.
Notably, Vihari was not in the scheme of things until the third Test as he was added to the squad only for the last two matches of the tour.
Have advised him to focus on domestic and India A matches: Prasad
Meanwhile, Prasad has insisted Nair isn't out of contention for a comeback and that he has to continue working hard in the domestic circuit to earn a recall.
"Karun is very much in the scheme of things for Test cricket. Right now, we have advised him to focus on performing in domestic and India A matches," the 43-year-old chief selector has added.
Nonetheless, the selection committee and the team management have been facing flak for their inconsistent selection policies for quite some time now.
Former India captain and ex-chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar has said that the way in which Nair has been dropped is not just demeaning for the batsman but most unfair.
However, The Times of India has reported that the team management had problems with Nair's attitude and it, in turn, affected his selection during the five-Test series in England.
