Anvay Dravid, son of former India captain Rahul Dravid, has been named captain and wicketkeeper of Karnataka’s Under-19 team for the upcoming Vinoo Mankad Trophy. The tournament is India’s top junior one-day competition and has helped many young players make their mark. Anvay’s promotion to captain shows how well he has performed in recent years at the junior level.

The 18-year-old has been one of Karnataka’s most talented young batters. He was the team’s highest run-scorer in the previous edition of the Vinoo Mankad Trophy and has shown great maturity at a young age. His leadership appointment is seen as a reward for his reliability and ability to perform under pressure.

Anvay’s form in recent years has been nothing short of outstanding. In the Under-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy, he topped Karnataka’s run charts for the second straight season, scoring 459 runs in six matches at a brilliant average of 91.80, including two centuries and 46 boundaries. His calm and composed approach has made him a cornerstone of Karnataka’s youth structure.

Karnataka Squads for the New Season

The Karnataka Under-19 squad for the Vinoo Mankad Trophy includes Anvay Dravid (captain, wk), Nitish Arya, Adarsh D Urs, S Manikanth (vice-captain), Praneeth Shetty, Vasav Venkatesh, Akshath Prabhakar, C Vaibhav, Kuldeep Singh Purohit, Rathan BR, Vaibhav Sharma, KA Tejas, Atharv Malviya, Sunny Kanchi, and Rehan Mohammed (wk).

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Meanwhile, Karnataka’s senior team has announced its squad for the 2025 Ranji Trophy opener against Saurashtra. The big news is Karun Nair's return after playing a major role in Vidarbha's title-winning season last year. Mayank Agarwal will lead the team, with Kruthik Krishna, Shikhar Shetty, and Mohsin Khan coming into the team looking to make an impact as Karnataka look to start strong this coming season.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced its squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against the West Indies at home, which will start just a couple of days after the Asia Cup 2025 final. There isn’t any surprise under the leadership of Shubman Gill as the selectors have named Ravindra Jadeja as the vice-captain in the absence of injured Rishabh Pant.

The opening game will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad before the action moves to the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi for the second encounter. They have picked three specialist all-rounders in the side, but the talking point has been around Karun Nair’s absence as their chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, revealed the reason.

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“We expected more from Karun Nair. It can’t be just one inning. Padikkal offers more. We would like to give 15-20 chances to everyone, but it is not possible in these circumstances. Padikkal has been in great form, and he was in the team.” Agarkar expressed in the press conference in Dubai.

Ajit Agarkar reveals reason to omit Karun Nair from IND vs WI Test squad

Nair didn’t enjoy a great time in the England series. He started with a duck at Leeds before getting two 25+ scores at Edgbaston. After being dropped from the side for the fourth Manchester Test, the right-handed batter returned for the last fixture at the Kennington Oval in South London to celebrate a fine half-century.

The former Vidarbha batter, who has returned to his old base, Karnataka, has notched up 579 runs in 15 innings of the red-ball format at an average of 41.35 and a strike rate of 64.62, with the help of one half-century and one century at the best score of unbeaten 303 runs. But this omission could be the end of his Test career.

The selection committee went ahead with Devdutt Padikkal, who drilled a fine knock of 150 in Lucknow against Australia A and looked in good touch for his 57 during the Duleep Trophy 2025 for the South Zone against North Zone at the BCCI Coe Ground in Bengaluru.

On the morning of September 25, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming Test series against the West Indies. It will be a 2-match Test series, starting from October 2 this year. The board has made a few changes for the series. 

As it was expected, Shubman Gill remains as the captain of team India Test side, but with a new deputy. Rishabh Pant has not recovered from the leg injury he sustained during the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy, so the team management had to select a new vice captain for the series to assist Gill in leadership duties. Experienced all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja is named as the vice captain of the team.

Because of the absence of Rishabh Pant, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee had to reshuffle the wicketkeeping department. Dhruv Jurel is expected to be in the playing XI against the West Indies, and Narayan Jagadeesan to remain as a cover for the position. During the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy, when Pant ruled out the Oval Test, Jurel came into the playing combination, and Jagadeesan joined Team India as a reserve keeper. 

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Multiple changes in squad for West Indies series 

BCCI has taken an interesting decision by dropping Karun Nair from the Test squad. He made his international comeback through the 5-match Test series against England, which was not a memorable account for him. In place of Nair, Devdutt Padikkal is named in the squad. Padikkal has been in brilliant form in the recent past.

Doubts over Jasprit Bumrah's availability were there. But the selectors decided to keep him in the squad along with Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, the other two pacers. Axar Patel returns to the Test side to tie a knot with Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja. Nitish Kumar Reddy remains in the team as the pace bowling all-rounder. Shardul Thakur was dropped to make room for Patel, a spin bowling all-rounder in place of a pace bowling all-rounder. 

🚨 Presenting #TeamIndia's squad for the West Indies Test series 🔽#INDvWI | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/S4D5mDGJNN

— BCCI (@BCCI) September 25, 2025

India squad for West Indies Tests:

Shubman Gill (captain), Ravindra Jadeja (vice-captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, and Narayan Jagadeesan. 

It was a misunderstanding between the two former India and Karnataka batters, Karun Nair and Robin Uthappa, through a twisted interview, which led to the latter’s exit from the domestic side as the 2007 World Cup-winner revealed during a recent podcast. The wicket-keeper looked back at his frustration for not earning a call to the national side despite a strong domestic season.

Uthappa finished his career with an overall 9446 runs in 238 first-class innings at an average of 40.71 and a strike rate of 66.59 with the help of 22 centuries and 52 half-centuries at the best score of 162 runs. His comments were generic in nature as he claimed that another team-mate informed Nair about the twisted comments which was directed at the Indian batter.

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“At that point, I was trying to get into the Test team. I was frustrated because, despite performing well, I wasn’t even being considered. Maybe all of those emotions came out in the conversation. I said in the interview that Test caps were being given away too easily, and that some people really needed to earn them rather than just being given them freely.” Uthappa revealed in the podcast.

Robin Uthappa discloses his twisted interview rift with Karun Nair during 2016-17 season

Uthappa addressed Nair as his young brother. Later, the middle-order batter, who has scored 579 Test runs in 15 innings at an average of 41.35, went to Vidarbha for a couple of seasons, which led to his return to the national side. Now, he has again come back to the Karnataka side ahead of the 2025/26 domestic season.

“Someone from our team took that piece of the interview and told Karun Nair that I had said it about him. Karun Nair, who was like a younger brother, alienated me at that time because he was close to getting a Test cap. He didn’t check with me and believed it.” Uthappa shed light.

“I told them if anyone thought I was breaking the team, they should raise their hand and I would quit immediately. Nobody raised a hand, but I knew then there was an organised attack because I had become the players’ voice.” The 33-year-old, who was accused of creating divisions within the side, concluded.

Former India cricketer Robin Uthappa has opened up about being dropped and eventually leaving Karnataka after the 2016-17 domestic season. The right-handed batter shared the episode on the YouTube podcast First Umpire, explaining how his comments were misunderstood to be about Karun Nair, which prompted the latter to distance himself from him.

The 39-year-old recalled that after a match in Mumbai during the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy, he gave an interview explaining his disappointment at missing out on an opportunity to play Test cricket for India while saying some seemed to get a red shirt too easily.

He revealed that a teammate told Karun Nair that the remarks were aimed at him, and since the latter did not clarify the misunderstanding, he began keeping his distance. He said, “There was an interview. At that point, I was trying to get into the Test team. I was frustrated because despite performing well, I wasn’t even being considered. Maybe all of those emotions came out in the conversation. I said in the interview that Test caps were being given away too easily and that some people really needed to earn them rather than just being given them freely.”

“Someone from our team took that piece of interview and told Karun Nair that I had said it about him. Karun Nair, who was like a younger brother, alienated me at that time because he was close to getting a Test cap. He didn’t check with me and believed it. A few days later, some infighting started. When the interview came out, since it was in Bombay, and Bombay loves to dominate domestic cricket, the media there even portrayed it in a way that could be perceived as if I was talking about Karun. Karun believed it and distanced himself from me.”

“Not a Single Person Stood Up for Me”

Uthappa added that when the team qualified for the Ranji Trophy quarterfinals, a meeting was held in which he was accused of disrupting the team, and he revealed that not a single teammate spoke up in his defense. He said, “Later, there was a meeting in Karnataka. Generally, when we qualified for the quarterfinals, I had this habit of getting everyone together, inviting them home, sharing a meal and drinks, and building team unity. Before I could invite them home, there was a meeting in the stadium. I was called up and told I was breaking up the team and creating issues. Vijay Sir was in that meeting. I told Vijay Sir, ‘If anyone here feels I am breaking the team, raise your hand. If even one person does, I will stop playing for Karnataka right now.’ Not a single person raised their hand.”

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“It was just an orchestrated attack on me because I had won the trust of the team, and the boys came to me with their issues. That was working, but after I stood up for the team, no one stood up for me. I felt very let down. Combined with Karun feeling I was against him, that hurt me because he was like a younger brother. I wanted nothing more than for players like Karun, Rahul, and Manish to succeed and play for India. I felt really let down by the team because not even one person stood up for me.” Later that season, Robin Uthappa was omitted from Karnataka's 16-man squad for the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Tamil Nadu. Vinay Kumar’s team went on to lose the match by seven wickets.

Karun Nair had a lukewarm outing in the recently concluded Test series against England. Though the batter scored only one half century and rest remained the below 50-run mark, the fifty came in a crucial juncture of the fifth Test and was applauded by many fans and pundits alike.

One picture from his outing in England going viral as people are drawing parallels between him and India ODI captain Rohit Sharma. Karun unleashed a straight drive which mirrored the same as Rohit’s from one of his innings. Speaking of the same, the Karnataka batter refrained from taking the likening as compliment, rather he avoided the resemblance as saying that Rohit is much bigger player than him and he is just starting his career.

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"Everyone these days watches everything that goes around on social media, but you know that Rohit Sharma is a legend of the game & I don't really know what to say, it's nice to see but I would like to not compare myself with someone who is a legend of the game. It will be unfair to be compared to the legend, whereas I am just starting my career,” Karun said to Sports Yaari.

I’m going to work on it very soon: Karun Nair

Karun reflected on his maiden England tour by saying that he got to good starts but could not convert those starts into big scores. His highest score of 57 came in the final Test of the series and his other scores read, 40, 31, 26 and 21. He further added that though the outing was not what he imagined it to be, he has learnt the lesson.

I was batting really well throughout the series and I was getting starts in most games. But I was just not able to convert it, which was frustrating for me more than anyone else. The one lesson I’ve reflected upon is making sure that I convert the start that I get. I’ve spoken to a lot of people about it, and I’m going to work on it very soon,” he added.

Karun Nair finally returned to international cricket after more than eight years during the recently concluded five-match Test series in England (Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025), but it wasn't a dream run for him despite some of his impressive pictures. 

In 2016, Karun Nair scored a Test triple-century (303*), which was his only 30+ score in a Test innings, only 40+ score in international cricket before his return to international cricket in the recently concluded England tour. He got the deserved chances in the recently concluded series after his hard work in recent years, where he impressed with his consistent performances with the bat. 

Nair returned to Test cricket during the first Test of the England tour at Leeds, where he scored a duck in the first innings and scored 20 runs during India's second innings. In the next Test at Edgbaston, Nair scored 31 and 26 runs. In the Lord's Test, he scored 40 and 14. After he was dropped from the fourth Test at Old Trafford in Manchester, he returned to the Test series finale at The Oval, where he scored 57 and 17. He mostly impressed with his confident starts, but he hardly managed to capitalise on his starts. 

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It was not like I was trying to prove anything: Karun Nair

In a recent interview, Nair pointed out his failures despite getting starts in the England tour. He told PTI, “It was not like I was trying to prove anything. Sometimes you get starts in most of the games, and then you find a way to get out. That was the case for me in England."

Nair feels very frustrated to fail to make a big count on his good starts in the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025, where the right-handed batter scored 205 runs in eight innings with an average of 25.62.

Nair added, “I was batting well throughout the series and getting into the 30s and 40s, but I just wasn’t able to push on. That was frustrating for me more than anyone else. I’ve been reflecting on why that was happening, why I kept getting out after getting set." 

By taking important suggestions, Nair is working hard to make improvements and not make the same mistakes in the upcoming matches.

Nair claimed, "The one lesson I’ve taken is to make sure I convert the starts I get. I’ve spoken to a lot of people about it and taken their suggestions. I’ll be working on it soon, so that the next time I get a start, I can convert it."

I am not thinking too far forward: Karun Nair

In October, India will host a Test series against the West Indies. Then, South Africa will travel to India for the Test and white-ball series in November. There are also two India A series against Australia A and South Africa A. Talking about his future goal, Nair isn't thinking much ahead; rather than he is much busier focusing on the present. 

Nair said, “I am not thinking too far forward. I am taking it day by day, working on my game and on the learnings from the last series. As time goes on, we will see what happens. For me, it’s about improving every single day — both in terms of skills and fitness.”

Every captain has their own way to manage the team. Man management is a major task for any leader of a team. Shubman Gill got his Test captaincy just before the crucial Anderson-Tendulkar trophy, as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli both retired from the format.

At the age of only 25, how Gill could manage the team and his individual performance were two major concerns of cricket fraternities. Gill did both with precision. With a newly formed team, India leveled the 5-match series 2-2 in a heroic manner. A few days after the conclusion of the Test series against England, Karun Nair shared an on-field incident that reflects the persona of Shubman Gill as a captain. During a conversation, Nair said that he mostly filed in the first slip position. When Gill asked him to stand somewhere else, Nair felt nervous. He informed Gill, and he took immediate action. Shubman himself took over the third slip duty on his own and left the first slip position to Nair.

"I have always fielded in the first slip position—I had requested Shubman if I could stand there in England. He left the position to me and moved to the third slip himself," Karun Nair said during a conversation. 

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Nair played a pivotal role in England 

The retirements of Sharma and Kohli opened the door for Nair to make a long-awaited comeback in the Test setup. The England tour for Nair was filled with ups and downs. He played 4 out of 5 matches during the series and was dropped once for not performing up to expectations. 

After missing the Old Trafford Test, the batter bounced back strongly with a fifty-plus score at The Oval, which was the fifth and the series decider game. When India was struggling in the first innings of the match, Nair made a well-fought 57-run innings. Before that, at The Lord's cricket ground, his first 40-run innings came at a crucial time.

India had an impressive run in the recently concluded five-match Test series against England, finishing with a 2-2 draw under Shubman Gill’s leadership, despite missing Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. While the batting unit performed consistently across the series, former India captain Sourav Ganguly pointed out that the No.3 position appeared slightly vulnerable. He expressed support for young batter Abhimanyu Easwaran to fill that role, following ongoing discussions about his prolonged absence from the playing XI despite being part of the squad in previous tours.

Easwaran has travelled with the Indian team to Australia and England but is yet to make his Test debut. Throughout the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, India opted for Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair in the No.3 slot, leaving Easwaran on the bench. Ganguly remains confident that the Bengal cricketer will eventually find a place in the playing XI. With an impressive domestic record of 103 Ranji Trophy matches, Easwaran has scored 7841 runs at an average of 48.7, including 27 centuries, proving his readiness for the big stage.

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“He has age on his side. I still believe he will get his chance. I feel batters like Yashasvi, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Ravindra Jadeja have all got runs. It’s only the No.3 slot that looked a bit fragile. Maybe Easwaran will be tried there,” Ganguly told to The Times of India.

Gautam Gambhir assured my son: Easwaran’s father

Sai Sudharsan, who was preferred over Abhimanyu Easwaran, scored just 140 runs in six innings at No.3, averaging 23.33 and recording two ducks. Meanwhile, Karun Nair, returning to Test cricket after eight years, managed 205 runs from eight innings at an average of 25.62. Easwaran’s father recently disclosed that India head coach Gautam Gambhir has assured his son a fair opportunity when his turn arrives. In the second unofficial Test against the England Lions, Easwaran batted at No.3, scoring 11 and 80, but is still waiting for his maiden India cap.

Easwaran will captain the East Zone in the 2025 Duleep Trophy, a tournament that could further strengthen his claim for a national call-up. India’s upcoming home Test season features series against the West Indies and South Africa, where the No.3 position may again come under scrutiny. With Sudharsan and Nair’s recent struggles, it remains to be seen if the selectors finally give Easwaran his long-awaited opportunity to prove himself at the highest level.

Karun Nair had an incredible time in the red-ball format during the Ranji Trophy as he changed his domestic team from Karnataka to Vidarbha. On the back of his fabulous season, he broke into the red-ball squad of the Indian team after nine years for the five-match Test series during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025. 

Standing for the national anthem during the opening day of the series at Leeds in Headingley, Nair felt goosebumps run down his arms. That was more special to the right-handed batter even than wearing the India cap for the very first time. He revealed that feeling during a recent interaction on ESPNcricinfo.

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“To get that opportunity was one of the best days of my life. Just the feeling of, 'yeah, finally I've made it again'. That was the moment for me.” Said Nair, before claiming “Maybe in a week, or whenever the Centre of Excellence gives me the go-ahead” as he looks to be fit for the upcoming Maharaj T20 Trophy 2025 from the injury he picked up at Kennington Oval during the fifth and final red-ball encounter.

Karun Nair discloses his best moment from England vs India 2025 Test series

The 33-year-old now has smashed 579 runs in 15 Test innings at an average of 41.35, scoring one half-century and one century at the best score of 303*. However, he didn’t have a great time in the UK with just one fifty on his name in eight innings, which came during the first innings of the final game at the Oval. But he speaks on Shubman Gill’s young captaincy and the right spirit of the 25-day action.

“We had a good chat, both teams were respectful of the fact that it was a great series. Brendon McCullum mentioned it was the greatest Test series to be played in recent memory. As players, we didn't feel the magnitude of it during the matches, but looking back at how the moments panned out, as a group, we feel we achieved something special.” The veteran shed light.

“The way Shubman held everyone together and the encouragement he gave was great to see. He was crystal clear with his communication from the beginning. To achieve what he did as a batter, while also leading the team, as a leader, he exemplified the spirit of Gauti bhai.” Nair concluded during the discussion.