'Karun Nair's career is well and truly back': India batter lauded for gritty fifty at The Oval, his first in 3,149 days

Karun Nair was handed another chance in the five-Test series against England, perhaps for the final time in his career, on Thursday after getting included in the Indian XI for the fifth Test at The Oval. Nair had been overlooked for the fourth Test at Manchester’s Old Trafford after collecting just 131 runs at an average slightly above 20 earlier in the series, but was recalled for the fifth Test with the series on the line following an injury to wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant.

While Dhruv Jurel was named Pant’s official replacement behind the stumps, the domestic run machine was brought in to shore up the batting order in the absence of the talismanic keeper-batter, which forced the visitors to cut down on their pace options by leaving out bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur.

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And the 33-year-old Karnataka batter did make the chance count on the opening day of the Oval Test, remaining unbeaten on 52 after facing 98 deliveries and forging an unbroken seventh-wicket partnership worth 51 with Washington Sundar (19 not out) to steer India to 204/6 at stumps .

It was, after all, Nair’s first fifty-plus score in 3,149 days, with the right-handed batter having gone past the milestone during his unbeaten 303 against the same team – albeit in Chennai in December 2016.

DK, Aaron hail Nair for hard-fought half-century

Former India wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik felt Nair was “well and truly” back in the Test team after nearly getting dropped for good at the end of the ongoing tour.

“Well played, Karun Nair. That’s a high-quality fifty in real tough conditions. Karun Nair’s career is well and truly back. If he hadn’t played this Test, then the team management could well have looked beyond him,” Karthik, who is part of Sky Sports’ commentary panel for the ongoing series, said on air.

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Karun Nair turning setbacks into statements! 💪 #SonySportsNetwork #ENGvIND #NayaIndia #DhaakadIndia #TeamIndia #ExtraaaInnings | @Karun126 pic.twitter.com/sZjz1TdK0C

— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) July 31, 2025

Karthik’s views were echoed by former India pacer Varun Aaron, who further analysed Nair’s technique on Thursday, especially when it came to dealing with balls in the channel outside the off stump.

“This could have been his last chance, but he has capitalised. The pitch was doing a lot, but Karun Nair is standing tall. What stood out was Karun Nair’s purposeful attempt to have soft hands to deliveries outside off stump,” Aaron said on JioHotstar.

Nair, who had been dropped just months after becoming only the second Indian after Virender Sehwag to score a Test triple-hundred, had gone past 30 just twice earlier in the ongoing series – scoring 31 at Edgbaston and 40 at Lord’s.

However, it was in the second Test of the ongoing series in London that Nair finally went past the half-century mark. And it could not have come at a more crucial juncture, at a time when wickets tumbled with alarming regularity at the other end, with the visitors reduced to 153/6 at one stage after stand-in England captain Ollie Pope elected to field.

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Nair and Sundar’s partnership will be crucial to India’s hopes of mounting a competitive first innings total at The Oval, which had witnessed plenty of interruptions due to rain on the opening day with more showers expected in the coming days.