“It will become difficult for him” - Aakash Chopra feels Karun Nair might lose his place in the Test squad

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has stated that the No.3 batter Karun Nair might not get his chances again in the Indian Test squad, with his replacement Sai Sudharsan doing well in the first innings of the Manchester Test.

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Notably, Nair could score only 131 runs from six innings so far in the ongoing England series at an average of under 22. His scores in the series read - 0, 20, 31, 26, 40, and 14. He was eventually replaced by Sudharsan at No.3 for the Manchester affair.

Furthermore, Chopra asserted that there would be competition from players like Abhimanyu Easwaran and Sarfaraz Khan, who haven’t made any mistakes, but are not part of the squad or the playing XI.

"Now it will become difficult for Karun Nair. I thought he could and should have been given one more chance. However, if you have not given it now, I think this is it, because, for the time being, how will you be able to give him a chance again? As soon as you go home, Abhimanyu Easwaran is standing in the line. Sarfaraz Khan hasn't made any mistake for you not to play him," Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

Moreover, Chopra noted that while Nair got his chances in the first three Tests, he couldn’t utilize them properly to his fullest potential. Also, players like Dhruv Jurel and Shreyas Iyer would be tried at some point in time, according to Chopra. 

"You might want to play Dhruv Jurel as a batter as well at some stage, and you will think about Shreyas Iyer too at some time when the Test series is played in India. Karun Nair got a great chance in this series, and he has wasted that chance. His career shows his never-say-never attitude, but making a comeback from here will not be that easy or straightforward," he added.

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