India is entering uncharted territory. For the first time since 1989, when Sachin Tendulkar made his debut, India will tour England for a Test series without Tendulkar or Kohli in the ranks. Rohit Sharma\u2019s retirement compounds the middle-order crisis, leaving the team to figure out a new batting blueprint that may have to rely more on form than reputation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThere has been no proper conversation around who\u2019s going to bat at No. 4,\u201d Kumble said on ESPNCricinfo. \u201cWhen Rohit didn\u2019t play in Australia, there was some reshuffling. KL Rahul grabbed the opportunity. But post that, the middle-order seems uncertain. And No. 4 is the most critical batting slot in England.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Kumble believes the answer may lie in a name long forgotten in Indian Test cricket \u2014 Karun Nair. The 33-year-old, who last played a Test in 2017, famously scored a triple century against England in Chennai but curiously fell out of favour soon after.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cKarun deserves to come back into the Indian team with the kind of domestic run he\u2019s had,\u201d Kumble said. \u201cYou need someone with experience in English conditions. He has played County cricket, he\u2019s been there before. He may be on the other side of 30, but he\u2019s still young in cricketing terms.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Karnataka-born batter, now representing Vidarbha in domestic cricket, has put together a dream season. In the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy, he piled up 779 runs in eight innings, including five centuries\u2014four of them back-to-back-as he almost single-handedly took Vidarbha to the final. But Nair wasn\u2019t done. He followed up with a stunning Ranji Trophy campaign, scoring 863 runs in nine matches, including a crucial century and a fifty in the final against Kerala to guide Vidarbha to the title.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Nair\u2019s return, if it happens, would mark one of Indian cricket\u2019s most compelling redemption arcs. Despite an average of 62.33 in six Tests and a historic triple hundred, Nair was sidelined, never truly receiving an extended run. He was part of the 2018 England tour squad but never got a game.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Karnataka-born batter, now representing Vidarbha in domestic cricket, has put together a dream season. In the 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy, he piled up 779 runs in eight innings, including five centuries\u2014four of them back-to-back-as he almost single-handedly took Vidarbha to the final. But Nair wasn\u2019t done. He followed up with a stunning Ranji Trophy campaign, scoring 863 runs in nine matches, including a crucial century and a fifty in the final against Kerala to guide Vidarbha to the title.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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