Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir has given indication that Karun Nair will be a part of the squad traveling to England for the Test series ahead. Gambhir, who reached England a couple of weeks prior to the first Test at Leeds, had the most glowing remarks about Karun’s County cricket stint and his batting form of late. He hinted that Karun may be given a good opportunity by the national team to prove himself in the near future.
In the company of captain Shubman Gill, Gambhir told reporters that he felt Karun had done well in focusing on domestic cricket while being away from the national squad. He said that Karun’s stint in County cricket will prove to be a useful experience for him in England and added that maybe the team management would give this 33-year-old a sufficiently long opportunity in the playing XI.
Gambhir remarked that it’s good for domestic cricket. Young players should take this path. If you perform well, you’ll get the opportunity. Having Karun who has done well in County is a big plus. We won’t judge anybody by just one or two matches. If they have been scoring runs in the past, they will get a decent chance.
Karun Nair had played for Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2025, amassing 198 runs off eight innings while blasting at an excellent strike rate of 172.17. After that IPL season, he got off to a great start of his England tour, registering 204 runs off 281 balls for India A against England Lions, including 26 fours and a six as India A amassed 557.
If picked, this series shall be the first occasion of Karun Nair getting back to the Indian Test outfit since March 2017. Karun Nair so far has played only 6 tests for India since his debut.