Karun Nair’s Cryptic Post After Indian Batting’s No-Show in Guwahati Breaks the Internet 

Karun Nair has not played for the Indian ODI team since 2016; he scored 46 runs across his only two appearances, both against Zimbabwe.

Karun Nair’s Cryptic Post After Indian Batting’s No-Show in Guwahati Breaks the Internet 

Karun Nair shared an emotional tweet on his non-inclusion, following India's batting collapse in South Africa Test. (via X)

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With the Indian red-ball side struggling in the ongoing two-match Test series against South Africa, out-of-favor veteran batter Karun Nair shared a cryptic post to hint at his inability to help the team in batting. Nair expressed his frustration about not being selected for the home series. 

The Men in Blue are staring at the face of a disappointing series defeat to the Proteas, as they find themselves behind in the second Test match at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati as well. South Africa has already taken a massive 314-run lead in the second innings in Guwahati. The visitors scored 489 runs in the first innings after opting to bat, with the home side only finishing with a score of 201/10 in response.

India’s poor batting display in the second Test sheds light on the inexperience that has increased with the absence of captain Shubman Gill, out with a neck injury. The Men in Blue got off to a good start, thanks to a 58-run innings by Yashasvi Jaiswal, but stumbled soon after, losing six batters for just 27 runs in the span of 11 overs. With the team reeling at 122/7, Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav held on for a while, bringing up a 72-run partnership, to take India to a first-inning total of 201 runs.

The Indian red-ball side’s struggles without a settled no. 3 batter seemed evident, with Sai Sudharsan having only hit 15 runs off 40 balls, before being dismissed. Amidst India’s batting woes, veteran batter Karun Nair spoke out, sharing a cryptic social media message on his non-selection. Without specifying, Nair poetically wrote about how well-versed he is with the conditions in India, while noting that it ‘stings’ for him to remain out of the Indian Test team. 

Some conditions carry a feel you know by heart — and the silence of not being out there adds its own sting.

Karun Nair wrote on X

Consequently, the last time India won a Test match after conceding 400+ runs in the first innings was against England in 2016, where Karun Nair smashed his maiden triple hundred. The 33-year-old was a part of the Indian red-ball side during the five-match tour to England earlier this year, after an eight-year long hiatus. However, he endured a dismal run, scoring only 205 runs at an average of 25.63, as a result of which he was dropped for the series against West Indies, and South Africa. 

It remains to be seen whether the 33-year-old makes his way back into the team, at the back of his recent first-class performances. Karun Nair has scored 602 runs in five matches for Karnataka in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season, at a remarkable average of 100.33. 

Karun Nair, Mayank Agarwal headline Karnataka’s squad for 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) announced its squad for the upcoming 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy season, with several young as well as experienced players having made it to the side. Karnataka will begin its campaign against Uttarakhand on November 26 in Ahmedabad. 

Karun Nair and Mayank Agarwal
Karun Nair and Mayank Agarwal headline Karnataka’s squad at the 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. (via Hindustan Times)

Nair will be among the foremost players in the squad, with the right-hander having been in great form in red-ball cricket this year. Meanwhile, the team will be captained by Mayank Agarwal, who played a pivotal role in Karnataka’s 2025 Vijay Hazare Trophy triumph, scoring 651 runs at an average of over 90, including four hundreds and a fifty. Abhinav Manohar is the third senior batter in the squad.

While Devdutt Padikkal has also been selected in the 16-member Karnataka squad, he is expected to miss the first few matches due to his participation in India’s ongoing white-ball series against South Africa. Smaran Ravichandran, Praveen Dubey, Krishnan Shrijith, Sharath BR, Shreyas Gopal, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Vidhwath Kaverappa are the others big named who occupy a spot in the team.

Karnataka will be hoping to improve on its 2024-25 SMAT performance, where the team was eliminated in the group stages itself. Manish Pandey and Manoj Bhandage are the two big names who miss out on a spot in the 2025-26 team.

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