“Will you pick someone on the basis of one performance?” - Aakash Chopra on Karun Nair's exclusion from Champions Trophy

Former India opener Aakash Chopra, while lauding Karun Nair’s amazing performance in the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25, stated that no one can be picked based on just one outing in a certain competition.

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Karun Nair was not picked in the India squad that the BCCI announced for the 8-team ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and the preceding three-ODI England series. Despite numerous experts' requests, Nair was not selected for the team.

In a video posted on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the cricketer-turned-commentator questioned whether Nair should have been chosen over KL Rahul and Shubman Gill for India's Champions Trophy squad simply because he had a strong performance in one season of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

"There is an ongoing crusade that Karun Nair should have been in the team. Since he has scored so many runs, he said he is not knocking at the door but just breaking it down. I saw somewhere where it was said that KL Rahul should be dropped. He has an average of 58 at Nos. 4 and 5. He played well in the World Cup,” Chopra said in his YouTube video.

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"Someone said Shubman Gill should be dropped. It's a joke going on that someone who has been performing consistently should be kicked out and someone else should be brought in. Karun Nair's one-year Vijay Hazare performance has been outstanding. Such performances should definitely be noticed, but are you going to pick someone based on one Vijay Hazare performance? Will it be right as it's just one tournament?" Chopra added.

Karun Nair led Vidarbha to the final and led from the front. The 33-year-old right-handed hitter played nine matches for Vidarbha and scored 779 runs, including five centuries and one fifty. He finished the tournament as the leading run scorer, with a batting average of 389.50.

Karun Nair has played just two ODIs for India, scoring 46 runs at an average of 23.00. He has performed better in Tests, scoring 374 runs, including an undefeated 303 against England in Chennai, at an average of 62.33 in seven innings.

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Aakash Chopra also acknowledged that Karun Nair’s numbers in the last few domestic seasons have been excellent.

"I tried to find out how his numbers have been. 2024-25 has been exceptional. He has scored 779 runs in nine matches at an average of 389.50, in which he has struck five centuries. He took the team to the final," Chopra said.

But Chopra also said that Nair had decent numbers in 2023-2024 but couldn't play for Karnataka in 2022-23 and had to move to Vidarbha.

"However, how was his 2023-2024? He scored 230 runs in seven innings, which is okay. He has a good average of 46.00, as he remained not out twice. He wasn't there at all in 2022-23 as he got dropped from Karnataka. He had almost left cricket, but the family asked him to play by going to a different place and finding new pastures," Chopra observed.

He also highlighted that Karun Nair only scored 79 runs at an average of 19.75 in five matches for Karnataka in 2021-22. He stated that while anyone can have a bad season, Nair hasn't been scoring hundreds season after season; thus, the selectors made the right decision because selection isn't done by popular vote.

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