Dinesh Karthik rules out Karun Nair's chances of Champions Trophy selection

VIdharbha Skipper Karun Nair has been making waves in the domestic cricket circuit as he continued his dream run in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT 2025). Notably, on the back of his mind-boggling batting performances, Vidarbha made it to the final of the tournament.

They will now play against Karnataka on Saturday, January 18. Currently, Nair is the highest run-scorer in the tournament with 752 runs from eight matches at an outrageous average of 752. The semifinal game saw him play another incredible knock against Maharashtra, where he remained unbeaten on 88* off 44 deliveries. As a result, Vidarbha knocked out the Maharashtrian team by 69 runs. In the aftermath of his incredible run, several reports suggested that Nair might be on the radar of the selectors ahead of the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.

This has led to a lot of experts talking about the 33-year-old. In the same vein, the former India cricketer, Dinesh Karthik, shared his views regarding the chances of the Jodhpur-born batter being in the mix of making it into the India squad for the Champions Trophy. However, Karthik felt that Nair may not be able to fit in the squad at this moment.

“Karun Nair, it’s been unreal to see the form that you’ve been in. Even Mayank Agarwal has been in some really good form. But the beauty is, it’s coming at a stage when the Indian ODI setup is almost ready to go. There can’t be too many changes" Karthik said while speaking to Cricbuzz.

Also Read: Karun Nair sheds light on his mindset amid purple patch in Vijay Hazare Trophy

“Yes, it’s very tempting to bring a Karun Nair into the setup, and I think he has earned the right to be part of the talks. But I don’t think he’ll make it to the Champions Trophy 2025 squad. But if he keeps going like this, why not? A form batter like that who plays fast and spin well, he’s a gun player, and I’m very happy for him," Karthik further added.

Nair will lead Vidarbha in VHT 2025 final against his former teammates

Speaking of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Vidarbha will be up against the four-time trophy winners, Karnataka. Notably, Karnataka are yet to lose a final in the tournament, which makes the summit clash even more intense. Besides, Karun Nair will also be up against his former Karnataka teammate Mayank Agarwal who will be leading the South Indian state.