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Dinesh Karthik Calls Out Karun Nair’s “Ordinary” Leave In Scathing Commentary

Rajgeeta Yadav

Karun Nair fails again [Source: AP Photos]Karun Nair fails again [Source: AP Photos]

In the ongoing third Test between India and England at Lord’s, India batter Karun Nair found himself at the center of criticism after getting out in a strange fashion. What made it worse was that former India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik, who was on commentary duty, openly slammed Nair for what he called an “ordinary” and avoidable dismissal.

What Went Wrong With Karun Nair?

To begin with, Nair had made a comeback into the Indian Test team after performing well in domestic cricket. He played in the first two Tests and was then promoted to bat at number 3 in the Lord’s match. This was a big opportunity for him to prove his worth on the international stage.

However, during the second innings of the Test, Nair got out in a very careless manner. On the third ball of the 13th over, bowled by England pacer Brydon Carse, Nair chose to leave a straight delivery. That decision backfired immediately. The ball hit him right on the pads, and he was declared LBW.

Dinesh Karthik’s Harsh But Honest Reaction

Watching from the commentary box, Dinesh Karthik didn’t hold back. He said:

“Karun Nair’s going to limp off, what a breakthrough for England. Completely out of the blue, he was looking solid as always. The ball didn’t do much, just came in straight. I don’t know what he was thinking."

Karthik also added: "Karun Nair expected the ball to swing away probably, but it didn’t, just held its line, kept coming straight. Pretty ordinary leave, Brydon Carse loving it, it’s an important wicket."

Clearly, Karthik was frustrated by the lack of awareness shown by a senior player like Nair.

Former England cricketer Michael Atherton also weighed in, calling Nair’s decision to leave the ball “very strange,” especially given the conditions at Lord’s where the ball tends to swing in from the Pavilion End.

He added that the mistake didn’t just cost his wicket, but also left Nair physically hurt:

“To make matters worse, he’ll (Nair) have a big bruise there in the morning because it hit him on the inside of the pad, so he had to hobble off."

A Bad Day For India’s Top Order

To make things more dramatic, Karun Nair’s poor shot was part of a major batting collapse by India. The team was chasing 193 to win but ended Day 4 at 58/4, leaving them in a tough spot going into the final day.

India had a strong position earlier in the match, especially after bowling England out for just 192, with Washington Sundar taking 4 wickets. 

But then came a series of quick wickets, including, Yashasvi Jaiswal, who got out for a duck (0 runs) and Shubman Gill, India’s in-form captain, who had a rare failure, scoring just 6 runs after being sledged by England captain Ben Stokes. And of course, Karun Nair, whose LBW dismissal added to the top-order woes.