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Following the recent Test retirements of both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, speculations have been rising as to who will replace the duo in India's batting order in their upcoming five-match Test assignment against England. While Shubman Gill is among the candidates to bat at the No.4 spot in the series, former India cricketer Sanjay Bangar has thrown Karun Nair's name into the mix.
"I'm thinking of Karun Nair at No.4. If all the talk of giving domestic cricket the priority and (using it as) benchmark, then he has done everything possible to get his Test spot back," Bangar told ESPNCricinfo.
Karun Nair had a brilliant domestic campaign
Karun's incredible batting performances in the previous domestic season in tournaments like Vijay Hazare Trophy and Ranji Trophy saw him get back into contention for entering India's Test squad. The 33-year-old was a vital cog in the Vidarbha side that reached the final of the former tournament and won the latter.
Karun scored 779 runs including five centuries in just eight innings in the Vijay-Hazare Trophy and contiued this blistering form in the Ranji Trophy as well where he put up 863 runs in nine matches. He also scored a highly-important ton in the final against Kerala which helped Vidarbha in drawing the match and lifting the prestigious domestic trophy.
He also impressed in his opening appearance in IPL 2025 for the Delhi Capitals and smashed 89 runs from just 40 deliveries against the Mumbai Indians in April. However, the runs soon dried up and he was soon dropped from the side.
Another player that Bangar vouched for is Bengal's Abhimanyu Easwaran, who failed to get into India's Team for the Border-Gavaskar series 24/25 against Australia following his poor performances for India A. However he may get a shot at entering the India squad for the upcoming England assignment if he impresses in India A's upcoming two-match Test series against the England Lions.
"What happens to Abhimanyu Easwaran? He has scored a lot of runs. I believe he will make it to the Test squad," Bangar said
Following Rohit and Virat's sudden retirements from Test cricket, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to appoint a new captain for the format ahead of the England series. Not only this, many new faces are also expected to feature throughout the five-match assignment which will kick-off the new World Test Championship cycle.
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