He begged for another opportunity, and he got it. But can he survive the grind of international cricket? The Indian team management relied on Karun Nair in back-to-back tests in the ongoing tour against England. In the first test of the five-match series, Nair played in the lower batting order so that with his experience he could stabilize the innings.

Proving all possibilities wrong, Nair departed for 0 and 20 runs in the first and second innings, respectively. England won the match by chasing a mammoth 371-run target. Head coach Gautam Gambhir led the coaching staff, and management went back to the chalkboard to find out the mistakes they made in Leeds. He decided to drop young Sai Sudharsan, who batted at number 3 in the first game, and promoted Nair to that position, where in the past, Rahul Dravid and Cheteshwar Pujara built their careers.

After tons of runs and multiple three-digit scores, Nair's technical abilities are beyond questionable. But the level of domestic cricket and international cricket is completely different. Apart from the 303-run innings, the batter's rest of the Test career is largely covered with disappointments. 

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Karun Nair's Test career, including ENG vs IND 2nd Test, 2025:

1. 4 and DNB vs. England, 2016 (H)

2. 13 vs. England, 2016 (H)

3. 303* vs England, 2016 (H)

4. 26 and 0 vs. Australia, 2017 (H)

5. 23 vs. Australia, 2017 (H)

6. 5 and DNB vs. Australia, 2017 (H)

7. 0 and 20 vs. England, 2025 (A)

8. 31 and 26 vs. England, 2025 (A)

If we take the triple hundred out of the equation, the Rajasthan-born batter's highest score so far is 31, which came in the ongoing match in Birmingham. Another notable thing is that most of the matches he played in the Whites were home games, under familiar conditions. 

Should Karun Nair get another chance to prove himself?

Nair now not only fights with the English conditions and the opposition bowlers but also with his age; he is now 33. After the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from Test cricket, the board (BCCI) needs someone who can serve the team for a long period. Karun, well past his young age and probably his career's prime time, may not be a suitable option to be placed in the team as part of a long-term project. 

The scenario or the discussion could be different if he were able to get the best results in the ongoing series. The underwhelming numbers and performances from the batter can clearly show why the team selectors did not prefer the Rajasthan-born for the international side. After four underperformed knocks, Nair's future in the team can be under review, this time with proper explanations.