"Karun is someone who hasn't batted at number three" - Cheteshwar Pujara's huge statement on recalled India batter ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 Tests
Team India star Cheteshwar Pujara believes recalled batter Karun Nair should not bat at No.3 in the upcoming tour of England. India will take on England in a five-Test series starting June 20.
The Indian selectors announced the 18-member squad yesterday (May 24), and Nair earned a recall to the Test setup after eight years. The 33-year-old scored a triple century in only his third Test in 2016 but played only three more red-ball games for India thereafter.
However, Nair scored a truckload of runs in domestic cricket last season, including 863 runs in nine matches at an average of almost 54 in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy to earn a recall. With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retiring from Tests recently, there is uncertainty over India's batting order for the upcoming England series.
Talking about the same in response to a query from Hindustan Times, Pujara said:
"I would still like to see if Shubman can carry on batting at number three and someone like Karun, who has batted really well in domestic cricket, gets an opportunity to bat at number four. It will be a bit more suitable for him because Karun is someone who hasn't batted at number three in domestic cricket."
He added:
"I'm not saying he can't do it for the Test team, but the ideal position for Karun would be number four. We don't know whether Shubman is going to carry on batting at number three, or is he going to drop down to number four."
India's newly-appointed Test captain, Shubman Gill, has been batting at No.3, with Kohli at 4 in their recent matches. Meanwhile, Nair predominantly batted in the middle-order for Vidarbha during their 2024-25 Ranji Trophy title run.
"We felt his experience could help" - Ajit Agarkar on Karun Nair's selection
India's chief selector Ajit Agarkar pointed to Karun Nair's experience as the key reason behind his inclusion in the squad for the England tour. Despite playing only six Tests for India, the 33-year-old has vast first-class experience of 114 games, including the Northamptonshire stint on English conditions in county cricket.
Talking about Nair's inclusion during the squad announcement, Agarkar said (via RCB):
"Sometimes you just have to make good decisions. At the moment, Karun has scored heaps of runs in domestic, has played a bit of Test cricket, played a bit of county cricket. With Virat not there, clearly we're lacking a bit of experience. We felt his experience could help," he said.
Nair has played all six Tests in his career at home, and the England series will be his first away series with India, should he be in the playing XI.