Karun Nair scores 73 on his Karnataka comeback in Ranji Trophy, shares 146-run partnership with his replacement in Test squad

Dropped from the Test squad after a lacklustre run on England tour in comeback series, Karun Nair is back to the domestic grind. In his first match for Karnataka after coming back from Vidarbha, Nair scored a half-century on the opening day of Ranji Trophy 2025-26. At Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot against Saurashtra in Group B clash, he contributed with a 73-run knock from 126 balls, featuring nine fours.

Padikkal misses ton but makes it count alongside Nair

Nair joined Devdutt Padikkal early in the middle early in the innings after Mayank Agarwal won the toss and opted to bat first. Left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja dismissed Agarwal and his opening partner Nikin Jose. Karnataka were 26/2 in 13.5 overs when Nair arrived at the crease. 

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Padikkal who did not get a chance in the recently-concluded series two-Test series against West Indies, helped Karnataka recover alongside veteran batter Nair. They batted out the first session. Later into the second session, Nair was trapped in front of the stumps by Jadeja. Nair contributed 73 runs in the 146-run partnership for the third wicket. 

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Padikkal who had replaced Nair in the Test squad, missed his eighth First-Class century by four runs. He hit 11 fours in his 141-ball 96. He got knocked over by Jadeja in the 60th over of the crease. When he departed, Karnataka were 195/4.

Padikkal’s form of late

While Nair is unlikely to get a recall to the Test squad, Padikkal may feature in the playing XI when India opt for batting depth. He may be the backup for Sai Sudharsan who shrugged off pressure with an 87-run knock in the Delhi Test. 

Padikkal had registered scores of 1 and 5 in his previous red-ball appearance against Australia A. Before that, he scored 150 in the first unofficial Test against Australia A in Lucknow.

Recently, India head coach Gautam Gambhir had stressed on the importance of playing in Ranji Trophy to prepare for the upcoming series. Padikkal may feature in the playing XI when India play South Africa in the two-Test series at home starting November 14 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.