Champions Trophy Snub Effect? Nair Flops In Vijay Hazare Final, Scores...

Hours after his omission from Team India's squad for the Champions Trophy, Vidarbha captain Karun Nair dream run in the Vijay Hazare Trophy came to an end with a 27-run knock in the final against Karnataka. Nair, who had scored 752 runs in seven games in the lead up to the final, was undone by an excellent delivery from pacer Prasidh Krishna. Nair was beaten all ends up as the ball kept low and nipped back in sharply to rattle the stumps.

Big wicket

Prasidh Krishna gets the crucial wicket of Karun Nair #VijayHazareTrophy @IDFCFIRSTBank

Scorecard https://t.co/ZZjfWXaajB pic.twitter.com/0D0CUIyuYO — BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) January 18, 2025

Nair's dismissal saw Vidarbha reduced to 88/2 while chasing 349 against Karnataka in the final.

Earlier, Ravichandran Smaran smashed a century to power Karnataka to 348/6 in 50 overs.

Krishnan Shrijith and Abhinav Manohar also scored half-centuries to propel Karnataka to a big total.

Meanwhile, Nair's omission from the Champions Trophy squad will raise questions about the relevance for scoring heavily in domestic cricket.

Head of BCCI's selection committee, Ajit Agarkar, admitted that it was indeed tough to include Karun in a squad of 15 in the current situation.

"Yeah, it is tough. Those are really special performances. I mean, someone who averages - 700-plus, 750-plus. We did have a chat (about Karun)," Agarkar said in the press meet to announce the Indian squads here on Saturday.

"But at the moment, to find a spot in this team is very difficult. I mean, look at the guys who've been picked. All average well in excess of mid-40s.

"So, unfortunately, you can't fit everyone in. It's a squad of 15. But those performances (like Karun) certainly make you take notice," he added.

So, what precisely is the team combination that Agarkar was talking about? In domestic cricket, Karun bats the highest at No. 3, and at times, comes at either No. 4 or 5, depending on the conditions.

However, those slots in the Indian team are occupied by Virat Kohli, a titan in one-dayers, Shreyas Iyer, who averages close to 50 in ODIs, and either KL Rahul, a proven, flexible 50-over batter who also keep wickets, or Rishabh Pant, an explosive left-handed batter and the first-choice stumper-batter.

(With PTI Inputs)