Karun Nair and? players from England Tests whom India dropped for WI series

Karun Nair dropped [Source: @ImTanujSingh/x.com]

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) revealed India’s Test squad for the West Indies series, commencing on October 2. The two-match series will be Team India’s first home assignment in the new WTC cycle, and it provides a great chance for the Shubman Gill-led side to climb the ladder in the points table.

As expected, Rishabh Pant misses out as the keeper-batter suffered from a fractured toe in the England Test series, and he has been replaced by Narayan Jagadeesan. Moreover, Bumrah is also available for the two matches as the selectors have picked a strong squad against the West Indies.

Also, there have been some notable omissions from the last Test series in England. In this article, we will jot down 3 players who were a part of the England tour, but were snubbed for the West Indies series.

1) Karun Nair

Cricket gave him one more chance, but Karun Nair failed to deliver the goods as the batter crumbled on flat wickets in England. While the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and KL Rahul scored truckloads of runs, Nair failed despite getting ample chances.

(Karun Nair in England)

• Just 205 runs in 8 innings at an average of 25.63 define Karun Nair’s journey in England. The wickets supported the batters, but he failed to deliver the goods and faced the axe as the selectors eventually moved on from him.

2) Shardul Thakur

Another notable omission from the Test squad was pace-bowling all-rounder, Shardul Thakur. The pacer was selected in the England Test series, but after a rather disappointing outing, he was snubbed by the selectors.

(Shardul vs England)

• Shardul had done well in English conditions on his previous tour, and the expectations were high this time as well. However, an average of 72, and a bowling strike rate of 82 defined his England series, He lacked the cutting-edge to take wickets, and the selectors decided he was not needed in the squad.
• Also, in sub-continent wickets, India prefers spinners in their side to dominate, and with Siraj, Bumrah, and Prasidh Krishna in the squad, there was no need for a fourth seamer.

3) Akash Deep

The Bengal pacer was the star for India in the Edgbaston Test as his heroics sealed a famous win for the Asian side, but surprisingly, he was snubbed for the home Test series vs the West Indies. Reportedly, he had injury issues during the England tour, and he also skipped the Duleep Trophy due to the same reason.

Perhaps the team management wants him to be fit for the South Africa series and hence, he was neglected for the West Indies matches.

---

ALSO READ

Karun out, Jagadeesan replaces Rishabh Pant as India announce Test squad for WI series

---