Karun Nair and Shreyas Iyer both have a chance to recall the test team after Rohit and Kohli’s retirement.
With the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the selectors are eyeing reinforcements with the India vs England series on the horizon. The Men in Blue are blessed with a plethora of talent, but replacing two legends of the game would be no mean task. Shreyas Iyer and Karun Nair are two front-runners to make the India squad for the England series and it remains to be seen who the selectors back to make the trip.
India vs England: Shreyas Iyer or Karun Nair, who makes the squad?
India has tried a plethora of options since Ajinkya Rahane’s last Test, but coach Gautam Gambhir is yet to settle on a middle-order batsman. Virat Kohli’s retirement creates a larger void, which needs immediate fixing with the India vs England series coming. With Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, and Sarfaraz Khan all struggling with injuries, the decision solely rests between two contenders: Shreyas Iyer and Karun Nair.
Both Shreyas Iyer and Karun Nair have seen their careers cut short due to increasing competition. Shreyas scored a century on debut but could only feature in a handful of Tests. The same was Karun Nair’s case, who failed to make the most of his chances after a scintillating triple century.
Karun vs Shreyas Test career
| Player | Inns | Runs | HS | Ave | SR | 100s | 50s |
| Karun Nair | 7 | 374 | 303* | 62.33 | 73.91 | 1 | 0 |
| Shreyas Iyer | 24 | 811 | 105 | 36.86 | 63.01 | 1 | 5 |
Shreyas played his last Test at home against England in 2024. The PBKS captain has played just a single Test in England, scoring 34 runs in two innings. Outside Asia, Shreyas has tallied just 75 runs in 6 innings, with a best effort of 31.
Karun, meanwhile, played all of his 6 Tests at home. The last of those games came back in 2017. The veteran has since made one of the most epic comebacks, scoring a truckload of runs in domestic cricket. Nair was third for most runs in the Ranji Trophy, and top scored in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He further added 255 runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to put himself in contention for an India call-up.
Nair has previously featured in the County Championships. The 33-year-old featured for Northamptonshire in 2023 and 2024. The latter was one of his best years, scoring a double century vs Glamorgan to tally 487 runs in 7 games.
The former captain of India and the legend of Karnataka, Anil Kumble, argued Karun Nair to stop at n ° 4 in India playing the XI. Kuble has argued that Nair’s experience by playing County cricket could help him become a Lynchpin on the Indian side.
“Karun deserves to return to the Indian team with the kind of domestic race he had. So maybe it could be No. 4 for India because I think you need a little experience. You need someone in England who was there and did this. He played the county cricket, so he knows the conditions. Karun can be on the other side of 30, but he is still young, ” Kumble told Espncricininfo.
Age on the side of Shreyas
Karun Nair is 33 years old, which could be argued against his selection. Although the experience is essential, the selectors and coach Gautam Gambir have looked towards a young nucleus so far. This thought can be seen in the decision to name Shubman Gill on Jasprit Bumrah as captain.
Shreyas is age on his side. It could even be a leadership option if things were going south in the future. Iyer led KKR and Mumbai to the titles of T20 competitions. At 30, Shreyas still has time to settle down and be a regular element in the range of Indian strikers.
Shreyas Iyer and Karun Nair did enough to be in the mixture. However, only one of them probably makes the team, with Sai Sudharsan prepared for a first call. It remains to be seen whether Karun’s county experience prevails over the relative young Shreyas.
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