'He should have gotten another chance...': Ajinkya Rahane reacts to Karun Nair's snub from India's Test squad

Veteran India cricketer Ajinkya Rahane believes that the team management should have given Karun Nair another chance in Test cricket after he failed to score a lot in the five-match Test series against England. Nair was called back to the Test set-up after a stellar domestic campaign with Vidarbha which saw him play a key role in their Ranji Trophy triumph. However, after he finished the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy with 205 runs from 8 innings, he was dropped from the squad for the two-match home series against West Indies.

Rahane pointed out how Nair has been consistently good in the domestic cricket and said that he deserved to get another chance. He also talked about Abhimanyu Easwaran, who is yet to make his international debut despite having a phenomenal domestic record.

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“We have seen it in the last two-three series; Karun Nair performed consistently in domestic cricket, won matches and was rewarded with a Test call-up. Though I think he should have gotten another chance. You also spoke about Abhimanyu Easwaran. He has also performed well in domestic cricket for years and scored runs with a good average. But he has not made his debut yet. I am sure it will happen soon," Rahane said in a video shared on X.

Pujara's take on Test selection

Former India cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara was also present in the video alongside Rahane and opined that the Test selection should take place purely on the basis of a player's performance on the domestic circuit.

“When players perform well in domestic cricket, they deserve to be rewarded. If a player performs well in domestic cricket and then gets picked in the Test team, it encourages them, and I believe that this should continue and the Test team’s selection should be purely on the basis of performance in domestic cricket," Pujara said in the video.

Nair's stellar Ranji return

Meanwhile, Nair once again put the selectors on notice with his fantastic knock of 174 for Karnataka against Goa in the Ranji Trophy. This was the 33-year-old's first appearance in the 2025 season of the tournament and he will be looking to continue this form in the upcoming rounds.