The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is set to kick off on February 19, featuring the world’s top 8 cricket teams. With the announcement of each team’s 15-member squad, India’s lineup has also been revealed, and notably, Karun Nair’s name is missing. Nair had high hopes of making the cut after his impressive performance in recent domestic matches.
It was reported in several media outlets that Nair was upset with the selectors for not including him in the Champions Trophy squad. However, Team India selector Ajit Agarkar recently shed light on the reasoning behind the exclusions. Following this, Nair has finally broken his silence, sharing his thoughts on the matter.
Before the ODI series between India and England, Agarkar clarified the situation, stating, “It’s tough to get into this team right now, look at the guys who have been chosen – all of them have an average above 40. Unfortunately, you can’t fit everyone into a squad of 15. But those performances are definitely being looked at. If a player’s form dips or injuries happen, then they will definitely be talked about.”
In response to Agarkar’s statement, Nair shared his thoughts in an interview with RevSports after making it to the Ranji Trophy semi-finals. “It was good to see a clear statement being made, and I think they made it very clear what their thinking was, which makes it easier for the player to understand where they stand and what they need to do. My focus right now is on winning the Ranji Trophy.”
The Indian team’s 15-member squad consists of Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, and Varun Chakravarthy.