Once hailed as India’s triple-centurion prodigy, Karun Nair now finds himself staring at the exit door, again. After another underwhelming outing in the Lord’s Test, where he scored 40 and 14 across innings, the public tide has turned sharply. While the Indian team trails 2–1 in the five-match series, calls to drop Nair have grown louder. And unlike past debates, this time it’s not just fans, former players, experts and selectors seem to be out of patience.

A Comeback That Never Caught Fire
In his much-hyped return to the Indian Test side, Karun Nair played all three matches so far in the England series. Across 6 innings, he managed just 131 runs, with no fifty and a highest of 40, that too in a losing cause.

Critics point out his shot selection and inability to bat long, especially in pressure moments. His second-innings dismissal at Lord’s, shouldering arms to a straight delivery, has sparked outrage.

Former India cricketer Atul Wassan said on a panel discussion
“There’s no space for emotional selections anymore. He got a rare second chance, and this isn’t the Karun we expected.”


Social Media Verdict: Time’s Up
A scan of fan reactions across X (Twitter), Instagram, and cricket forums shows a common sentiment:
“Karun Nair got more chances than some deserved. Let’s move on.”


Popular cricket handles like CricTracker and CricBlog have also begun hinting at replacements. A post by SportsKeeda Cricket read:
“With India 2-1 down, is it time to bring in fresh blood? Sudharsan or Easwaran?”



Even under Karun Nair’s last match post, replies range from “Thanks but no thanks” to “This was your final over.”

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Will Gill and Gambhir Back Him Again?

Captain Shubman Gill and coach Gautam Gambhir have not spoken publicly about Karun’s future yet. But insiders suggest that team management may not risk another flop in a crucial Test. With Sai Sudharsan scoring heavily in domestic red-ball games and Abhimanyu Easwaran waiting in the wings, India has backup ready.


Karun Nair’s story once inspired belief

A 303* against England in 2016 remains etched in Indian cricket history. But Test cricket is ruthless. Sentiment doesn’t last. Performance does.

And if Lord’s was truly his last chance, it slipped away like a straight ball he chose to leave.

Also read : Can they bring back Sai Sudharsan?” – Former cricketer on India’s playing 11 changes after ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test https://www.sportskeeda.com/cricket/news-can-bring-back-sai-sudharsan-former-cricketer-india-s-playing-11-changes-eng-vs-ind-2025-3rd-test