“Rohit and Virat are out of form, but those who are scoring runs, you are ignoring them”: Harbhajan slams BCCI for exclusion of the most in-form Indian batter

Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh criticised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for ignoring Karun Nair despite his impressive numbers in domestic cricket. The 33-year-old has amassed 664 runs in six innings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

He smashed four consecutive hundreds and five in his last six matches in the fifty-over competition. The right-hander has represented India in six Tests and two ODIs. Despite scoring a triple hundred against England, he was dropped after a few below-par performances.

“His stats are mind blowing. He played six matches in 2024-25 and remained not out in 5, scoring 664 runs. He has a strike rate of 120 and it is unfair to consider him for the national team. You can’t have different rules for different players. They should play for India when they are scoring runs. Karun Nair doesn’t have tattoos and he doesn’t wear fancy clothes. Is this the reason behind his snub?” Harbhajan Singh said.

Harbhajan Singh questioned the selection process. He recalled the times when the players performing in domestic cricket were rewarded. Nair also scored 255 runs at an average of 42 and a strike rate of 177.08 in six matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

“The selection is happening on the basis of two matches or some are getting chances because of the Indian Premier League. People say that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are out of them and the BCCI has asked them to play Ranji Trophy. But those who are performing in the Ranji Trophy, you are ignoring them,” he added.

“I never understood how he was dropped from the team after a triple hundred. There is no one who is talking about him. He was with the team in England but was not given a game. For the fifth Test, they added Hanuma Vihari to the team and he played the Test instead of Karun Nair,” he concluded.

Nair’s performances took Vidarbha to the semi-final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the dominant side will clash with Maharashtra on January 16 in the knockout game.

Click here to read article