The BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained why Karun Nair failed to make the cut in India’s Champions Trophy squad announced on Saturday (Jan 18). Indian captain Rohit Sharma and Agarkar revealed the chosen 15 for the first showpiece event of the year during a presser in Mumbai.
Karun Nair, only the second Indian batter after Virender Sehwag to hit a Test triple hundred (in 2016), has been making the right noises with his stupendous performances in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Nair, 33, who scored as many as 752 runs, including a record-equaling five centuries and averaging the same (a whopping 752), had several greats like Sachin Tendulkar praising him for his star outings.
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However, per the reports in the lead-up to the squad announcement date, Nair was not going to get selected despite his towering performances in the domestic 50-over tournament, with the Champions Trophy squad announcement confirming this.
Upon being asked about thoughts on not picking Nair, Agarkar revealed they discussed his name during the chat, but looking at how stacked the Indian ODI middle order is, he, unfortunately, had to wait for his turn.
"Yeah, it was tough. Those are really special performances. Someone who averages 700-plus. We did have a chat," Agarkar said during the presser in Mumbai.
"At the moment, finding a spot in the squad, in this team, is really difficult. Look at the guys who have been picked. All average well in excess of mid-40s. Unfortunately, you can't fit everyone in a squad of 15. But those performances certainly make you take notice. If there is a loss of form (for a player) or injuries, there's certainly going to be a conversation around him," the chief selector continued.
Team India’s Champions Trophy squad –
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja
India will host England for five T20Is and three ODIs before flying to Dubai for the eight-team tournament starting February 19.
The Men in Blue, placed in Group A, will open their campaign against Bangladesh (Feb 20) before facing host Pakistan (Feb 23) in the marquee clash. India’s last league game is against New Zealand a week later (Mar 2), with Dubai hosting all of their matches, including the knockouts, should they qualify.
(With inputs from agencies)