Sports
Karun Nair shares cryptic post after India’s batters fall like a pack of cards; R Ashwin’s reaction adds to the suspense
A good pitch. The sun beaming down. The conditions were all there for India to shove the demons of Kolkata and put up resistance in Guwahati in the second Test against South Africa at the Barsapara Stadium after the visitors piled up 489 runs on the board. However, the effort of the top and middle order left a lot to be desired as Dhruv Jurel, Rishabh Pant, Sai Sudharsan and Ravindra Jadeja crumbled under pressure, leaving the hosts reeling and staring down the barrel.
The below-par performance of the batters for the third time in a row against South Africa has led to voices growing over the exclusion of Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, and Abhimanyu Easwaran from the squad, considering their reputation as good players of spin.
Nair seemingly reacted to the chatter on social media, posting a cryptic message, to which even Ravichandran Ashwin responded. It is worth mentioning that Nair was dropped from India’s squad for the home series against the West Indies and South Africa after his below-par showing in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
“Some conditions carry a feel you know by heart — and the silence of not being out there adds its own sting,” Karun Nair wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Reacting to Nair’s post, former India spinner Ashwin posted laughing emojis.
Nair returned to India’s Test team after eight years against England, but he failed to set the stage on fire, scoring just 205 runs, with only a half-century.
At the time of the squad announcement for the West Indies series, chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar stated that Karun did not live up to expectations and was therefore dropped from the squad.
“We expected more from him (in England). He played four Tests, and there was just one fifty. We would like to give 15-20 chances to everyone, but unfortunately, it does not work that way,” Agarkar told reporters.
‘I deserved better’
After being dropped, Nair also reacted to the development as he traded barbs at Agarkar, saying he “deserved better.”
“Obviously, it is quite disappointing. After the last two years I’ve had, I think I deserve a lot better. More than a series,” he said.
“There are certain individuals in the [Indian] team who have had good conversations with me about how they felt. That’s about it. It does get into the head. But the second thought would be to do your job, which is to score runs and let people have their opinions,” he added.
Coming back to the second Test against South Africa, India, and got off to a good start as opening batters Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul put on 65 runs but the side collapsed like a pack of cards as the batters gave away their wickets cheaply and being reduced to 122/7 at one stage.
Earlier, the Proteas posted 489 runs on the board owing to a maiden Test century by Senuran Muthusamy.