Karun Nair left the South Zone camp after being omitted from the playing XI for the Duleep Trophy final against East Zone, making it his second consecutive exclusion from the zonal side. The experienced Karnataka batter subsequently returned to Bengaluru, where he made the decision to play for KSCA Secretary XI in the Thimmappiah Trophy.
Karun Nair responded to the disappointment with the bat, scoring a century against Chhattisgarh. His 104-run knock came shortly after South Zone coach Vikram Verma described his departure from the squad as being for personal reasons. Nair then appeared to respond to his latest omission on social media, replying to a post about his selection with the words, “Inexplicable would be an understatement.”
South Zone coach claimed Karun Nair left due to personal reasons
Karun Nair had been part of the South Zone setup during their preparations for the Duleep Trophy final in Chennai. However, after being left out of the XI for the semi-final against North Zone, he was once again not selected for the title clash against East Zone.
He subsequently returned to Bengaluru and featured for KSCA Secretary XI in the Dr (Capt) K Thimmappaiah Memorial Tournament, a red-ball competition used by Karnataka players as part of their preparations for the domestic season. Nair made the most of the opportunity, scoring 104 against Chhattisgarh.
South Zone coach Vikram Verma, however, said Karun Nair had left the camp because of personal reasons.
"No, he [Nair] went [home] with the personal reasons," Verma said. "So he left for his home, he mailed and took the permission. Actually, we went with a good combination because every team has two left-arm spinners. So we thought a left-hand batter in the middle order would give a chance to dominate them. So again, we thought [of] what is best for the team.
"And [in the] first match [against North Zone], we gave chance to a youngster [Kodimela] Himateja. Now since [Devdutt] Padikkal has come back again, so again the team combination was that. So [it] was difficult to [leave] him [Nair] out, but that's the combination we have."
“Inexplicable would be an understatement”: Karun Nair after Duleep snub
Nair's century for KSCA Secretary XI came at an interesting time, with his South Zone side preparing for a difficult challenge against East Zone in the Duleep Trophy final.
East Zone had already posted 708 in the first innings, with Ishan Kishan scoring 270 and Kumar Kushagra making 101. South Zone therefore found themselves under significant pressure after spending two days in the field.
A journalist highlighted Karun Nair's century and questioned his omission from a second successive Duleep Trophy fixture, suggesting South Zone could have benefited from his presence while chasing such a huge total.
Karun Nair responded to the post with a short but pointed message: “Inexplicable would be an understatement.”
Tilak Varma's South Zone struggle in Duleep Trophy final
South Zone entered the final with captain Tilak Varma coming off an impressive semi-final against North Zone. Varma scored 116 in the first innings and followed it with an unbeaten 51 while guiding South Zone to a seven-wicket victory.
However, the final has presented a much tougher challenge. East Zone's 708 put enormous pressure on the South Zone batting unit, which has only one specialist opener in Narayan Jagadeesan, while Ricky Bhui, the team's vice-captain, is another option at the top.
The Duleep Trophy squads were selected by the respective state associations within each zone rather than the national selection committee. Nair's omission, therefore, was a South Zone selection decision rather than one made by the India selectors.
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