Former Indian cricketer Surinder Khanna did not hold back in his criticism of the selectors’ decision to ignore Karun Nair for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, despite his extraordinary form with the bat in the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024 -25.
Karun Nair scored 779 runs in just seven matches with the help of five hundreds at an incredible average of 389.5, and remained unbeaten in six consecutive innings in the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25. His incredible batting performance created quite a stir among cricket experts.
Surinder Khanna criticizes Indian selectors for ignoring Karun Nair despite his phenomenal performance in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25
Many former cricketers said this was Nair’s time to make a long-awaited return to the international scene after almost a decade, but the Indian selectors left him heartbroken once again, excluding the Vidarbha captain for both the ODIs of England as for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Also Read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Ajit Agarkar justifies ignoring Karun Nair despite Sachin Tendulkar’s backing
Expressing his frustration over Karun Nair’s snub, Surinder Khanna questioned the decision to overlook the 33-year-old batsman for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. He stressed that Nair deserved to be picked in the CT 2025 squad.
The former Indian cricketer also pointed out that the Indian cricket team needs younger and more agile players for the fast-paced demands of the ODI format, pointing to Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja.
I think Karun Nair is a bit unlucky: Surinder Khanna
ANI quoted Surinder Khanna as saying, “I think Karun Nair is a bit unlucky. I wish I were the chairman of selectors. He reached 300 in the Test match and then disappeared. Now suddenly the moon has risen again, so it should shine for 2 or 3 years, and how many players between 35 and 36 years old can you have in the team? It is a one-day format; “You need people who move quickly in the field.”
Meanwhile, Surinder Khanna did not hold back in his harsh criticism of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. He criticized Rohit Sharma’s fielding, saying that if the Indian captain is stationed on the boundary, the opposition can easily steal the runs.
Khanna also pointed out that Virat Kohli’s fielding at the slips and inside the circle is no longer effective, which affects the overall performance of the Indian team. However, Kohli is one of the best fielders in the world.
Also Read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Former RCB star Harbhajan Singh exposes BCCI’s hypocrisy over Karun Nair snub
The captain is also weak: Surinder Khanna on Rohit Sharma
Khanna further noted, “The captain is also weak. I mean, if you make Rohit Sharma’s fielding on the boundary, then two runs will be easily made. Virat Kohli also plays in slips and only plays inside the circle. Kohli is not making runs in fielding; He is putting a lot of effort into the circle. I hope everyone gets mentally fit, focused and gets back to form.”
However, the former cricketer hailed the national selectors’ decision to name Shubman Gill as India’s vice-captain for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, saying it is a very good and positive development. He signed off by saying that Gill has shown promise, but stressed that the youngster must find his form with the bat, and that is the main thing for him and the team.
