Karun Nair has every right to be angry, disappointed and disgruntled with life.
The Indian selectors have played dirty with him, whatever explanations they give now. The scenario over the last month or so has been baffling. It reads like a crime novel where the wrong man has been punished for a murder he did not commit.
Nair was in the team which was sent to England for the Test series which India lost 4-1. By the end of the third Test, India were staring down the barrel and needed some strong middle-order performances to mount a challenge.
Nair would have been an automatic choice and he was in the team as reserve batsman.
However, the Indian selectors sprung a surprise and called a player from India to plug the middle-order slide. Hanuma Vihari played the last Test too and Nair kept warming the benches.
No explanations, nothing.
It was later learnt that the team think-tank were not happy with Nair’s selection in the first place. It then seems clear that the selectors and the team management were not on the same page at the start itself. This issue could have been resolved then but Nair was selected and ignored.
The ultimate insult was dropping him for the West Indies Test which began yesterday for no rhyme or reason.
It is abundantly clear that the selectors and team management have something against Nair. How else can they explain Nair’s omission?
The chairman of selectors MSK Prasad is now claiming that they had communicated with Nair in England and now in India about his non-selection.
But Nair himself has said that there were no explanations given to him.
Now who does one believe? Whatever is the truth, there has great injustice done to a player who has a Test triple hundred to his name.
Prasad’s advice to score loads of runs in domestic cricket sounds very shallow and flat. Nair does not need to prove his quality at this stage.
He was picked to tour England because of his class and temperament to deal with tough conditions. By doubting this, Prasad is doing more damage to a young cricketer who has potential to become a future star.
What the selectors have done is to destroy Nair completely. The young man will have to prove his credentials all over again.
A no-confidence motion must be brought against the selection committee for such ridiculous actions.
They are doing a great disservice to Indian cricket with their illogical actions. The BCCI has already faced a lot of flak recently over the scheduling of the Asia Cup.
Cricket broadcasters have also warned them about sending B teams to major tournaments.Ultimately the Indians cricket setup must stop acting arrogant and be fair to all.
India may be number one in many formats of the game but they are not the finished product as yet. Losing in South Africa and England has taken away the gloss from being a champion team.
Ultimately results count, whatever way you achieve it. Merely hiding behind a few acts of bravery doesn’t add up in the end. And if Nair is not part of India’s plans, tell him so and move on.
Don’t give false hopes to a player and destroy his confidence and his game.
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#All views expressed in this column are those of the author and Pune365 does not necessarily subscribe to them.
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