‘Inexplicable’: Karun Nair digs low in south zone after being overlooked in Duleep Trophy final

Karnataka batsman Karun Nair took a subtle but pointed flick in the south zone after being overlooked for the playing eleven in the ongoing Duleep Trophy final against the east zone at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.Nair, who was part of the South Zone team, was left out of the playing XI for both the semi-finals and the final. After a post on X (formerly Twitter) described his omission as “inexplicable”, Nair reposted it with his own response.“Inexplicable would be an understatement,” he wrote, accompanied by a laughing emoji.

Posted by Karun Nair

The decision gained further attention after South Zone endured a tough first two days of the finals, with East Zone amassing 708 runs before being bowled out.Nair did not remain with the South Zone team after learning that he would not play in the final. Instead, he returned home to join the pre-season Red-ball camp of the Karnataka State Cricket Association.The batter then made an immediate impact, scoring a century for the KSCA XI secretary against Chhattisgarh.The South Zone did not provide an explanation for Nair’s omission from the playing eleven for the final. His absence had already raised eyebrows ahead of the previous match against North Zone when captain Tilak Varma explained that Nair’s dismissal was a tactical call.At the time, Varma said Nair was ‘simply unlucky’ after opting for Hyderabad batsman Kodimel Himatej in the middle order.“Karun is just unlucky. He scored a lot of runs in the domestic season,” Tilak said while addressing the media at the CoE.“I chose Himateja over Karun because they have good left-arm spinners. So we wanted a left-hander in the middle order. He has also scored a decent number of runs in domestic cricket. I was just backing him. He has a good career as a youngster as well. At the same time, it is very unfortunate for Karun.”However, Himatej’s opportunity did not work out. He was dismissed for a two-ball duck and subsequently dropped for the final.South Zone replaced him with another left-hander, Devdutt Padikkal, instead of bringing Nair back into the XI.

South zone struggles as Ishan Kishan produces 270

Nair’s omission became an even bigger talking point after South Zone’s bowling attack struggled to contain East Zone in the final.East Zone went on to 385/4 in the second innings and continued their dominance from the start. South Zone took over with the new ball after one over, hoping that Mohammad Siraj and MD Nidheesh could break through early, but neither managed to break the partnership between Ishan Kishan and Kumar Kushagra.Kishan immediately attacked Siraj and Nidheesh while Kushagra provided strong support from the other end. South Zone then turned to Tripuran Vijay and Shreyas Gopal but the change in bowling didn’t stop the scoring much.Kushagra eventually completed his sixth first-class century, making 101 off 132 balls with eight fours and five sixes before falling to Vijay shortly before lunch.Kishan then took complete control of the innings.The East Zone captain repeatedly found the boundary and took advantage of a tiring South Zone attack. Even the introduction of temps Devdutt Padikkal and Shaikh Rasheed could not slow him down.Kishan reached his double century from 270 balls and continued to attack, hovering above 250 before retiring briefly due to fatigue.

Kishan is 30 years short of a triple century

East Zone eventually crossed 600 and then moved towards the 700 run mark. Mohammed Shami’s quickfire 28 helped push the total closer to the landmark before his dismissal brought Kishan back to the crease.The East Zone captain came back with a triple century in sight but the South Zone eventually managed to remove him before he could reach the milestone.Kishan was caught near the long-on boundary for a stunning 270 off 334 balls, an innings containing 30 fours and seven sixes. His score ranks as the eighth highest individual innings in Duleep Trophy history.East Zone were eventually dismissed for 708, a total of over 700 was registered at Chepauk for only the third time in first-class cricket history.The mammoth score put East Zone firmly in control of the final and added another layer to the questions surrounding Nair’s omission.For Nair, meanwhile, his short reply on social media revealed his feelings about being left out, especially after the South Zone bowling attack failed to contain Kishan and Kushagra in the final over.