Karun Nair’s cryptic post stirs another controversy as India collapse

Dubai: As India’s batting crumbled to 201 in response to South Africa’s 489 on Day 3, a world away, batter Karun Nair posted a cryptic message that quickly sent social media into a frenzy.

India’s recurring batting failures have intensified debate over the exclusion of consistent domestic performers like Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, and Abhimanyu Easwaran — all known for their proficiency against spin. Under Gautam Gambhir, India now risk suffering yet another Test-series whitewash.

Nair’s post even drew the notice of Ravichandran Ashwin. Interpreted by many as an expression of frustration over his omission from India’s squads for the West Indies and South Africa series, the message read: “Some conditions carry a feel you know by heart — and the silence of not being out there adds its own sting.”

With India’s middle order faltering, fans have increasingly questioned whether an experienced option like Nair should have been preferred over newer faces such as Sai Sudharsan or Dhruv Jurel.

Although Nair briefly returned to the Test setup during the England tour, a disappointing Anderson—Tendulkar Trophy meant he was dropped again. Since then, he has been grinding in domestic cricket, pursuing another chance at the international level.

BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar previously addressed Nair’s omission from the West Indies series, saying selectors expected more from him upon his Test return.

“Frankly, we expected a little bit more from Karun. He played four Tests, and you spoke about one innings … We feel Padikkal offers a little bit more at this point. Wish we could give everyone 15—20 Tests,” Agarkar stated.

India’s No. 3 position remains unsettled. Sudharsan, despite scoring 87 against the West Indies, was benched for the South Africa Test. Washington Sundar stepped in at No. 3 and top-scored in the Eden Gardens Test, only to be pushed back to No. 8 when Sudharsan returned.

Meanwhile, Nair has been in stellar form in the 2025—26 Ranji Trophy, amassing 602 runs in seven innings for Karnataka at an average above 100, including two centuries and two fifties — placing him fourth among the tournament’s top run-getters.

His continued exclusion has puzzled many, particularly as India’s batting woes deepen. Notably, the last time India won a Test after conceding over 400 runs in the first innings was in 2016 — when Nair struck his iconic unbeaten triple-century against England in Chennai.