India vs West Indies Test Series: The Way Karun Nair Has Been Dropped is Baffling, Says Dilip Vengsarkar

Only the second triple-centurion for the nation after Virender Sehwag, Karun Nair has played only six Tests for India till date, three of which came after his scintillating knock against England back in 2016 at home. However, since then, he has not played a single Test match for India.

Former Indian skipper Dilip Vengsarkar has been left baffled with the decision of the selectors to leave middle-order batsman Karun Nair out of the squad for the two-Test series against West Indies.

Only the second triple-centurion for the nation after Virender Sehwag, Nair has played only six Tests for India till date, three of which came after his scintillating knock against England back in 2016 at home. However, since then, he has not played a single Test match for India.

“The way Karun has been dropped is quite baffling, to say the least,” Vengsarkar was quoted as saying by The Times of India on Monday. “He scored a triple century in a Test against England at home not so long ago. Scoring a triple ton in any grade of cricket is an outstanding feat and not many have scored a triple ton in Test cricket.”

Nair was part of the India squad for the five-Test series against England which the visitors lost 1-4 but did not get any game even when middle-order batsman Hanuma Vihari received a maiden call-up and went on to make his India debut for the final game played at The Oval.

“However, since then, he has been out of the playing eleven, and even when he was in the squad, Vihari was flown in from India and was preferred to Karun for the last Test at the Oval, which I feel is not only demeaning for the batsman but most unfair. Only the wise men of Indian cricket can explain why such a treatment is being meted out to a Test triple centurion. The entire case is quite intriguing,” Vengsarkar said.

The two-match Test series starts in Rajkot from October 4 at the Saurashtra Cricket Stadium.

India’s squad for West Indies Test –

Virat Kohli (captain), KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur