Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh has voiced his support for Karun Nair, urging the team management to give him an extended run in the playing XI—similar to what Shubman Gill and KL Rahul were afforded in the past.
Karun, who returned to the Indian Test side after eight years, has been under pressure in the ongoing Test series against England. In three matches so far, his scores read 0, 20, 31, 26, 40, and 14—totalling just 131 runs at an average below 22.
Despite the numbers, Harbhajan believes the middle-order batter deserves more time to settle in.
“Yes, Karun has not scored runs, but if you gave him a chance, then persist with him for a while. All players deserve a fair chance. Karun deserves it now, and the likes of Shubman Gill and KL Rahul deserved it in the past,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.
Karun earned a recall after a prolific 2024–25 domestic season. Representing Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy, he scored 863 runs in nine matches at an average close to 54, including a century in the final. His white-ball form was even more dominant—he smashed 779 runs in eight innings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy at a staggering average of 389.50, including five hundreds.
Harbhajan also felt that Sai Sudharsan wasn’t given a proper run. “So, the criteria should be the same for everyone. If others got five or six chances, then what crime has Karun committed? I feel that giving just one opportunity to Sai Sudharsan was not justified, but now that you have persisted with Karun till now, then play him here as well,” he added.
For latest sports updates: Follow RevSportz