Karun Nair Smashes Century Following Exclusion from South Zone Duleep Trophy Final

The seasoned Indian cricketer Karun Nair was once again omitted from the South Zone squad, missing out on a spot in the playing XI for the Duleep Trophy 2026 final against East Zone at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Having also been left out for the semifinal clash against North Zone, Nair remained on the sidelines for two consecutive matches.

Despite being the most experienced member of the South Zone roster with ten Test caps for India, Nair responded to the snub decisively. While his teammates battled East Zone in the final, the veteran turned out for Secretary XI in a KSCA pre-season warm-up match against Chhattisgarh and compiled a century.

His monumental innings underscored his current form and intensified scrutiny over South Zone’s decision to exclude an accomplished batter, particularly after East Zone amassed a formidable 708 in the final. Addressing a social media post that labeled his omission “inexplicable,” Nair posted on X:

“Inexplicable would be an understatement,” wrote Karun.

What Led to Karun Nair’s Omission from South Zone?

South Zone did not provide an explicit justification for Nair’s exclusion from the final. However, captain Tilak Varma had previously clarified that the batter’s omission from the semifinal was strictly a tactical decision.

The team chose to bring in Kodimela Himateja in Nair’s stead, with Varma citing the presence of left-arm spinners in the opposition attack as a primary factor in the selection.

“Karun is just unlucky. He has scored a lot of runs in domestic seasons,” Tilak had said while addressing the media at the CoE.

“I have chosen Himateja in place of Karun as they have good left-arm spinners. So we wanted a leftie in the middle order. He has also scored a decent amount of runs in domestic cricket. I was just backing him. As a youngster, he also has a good career. At the same time, it is very unfortunate for Karun.”

Ultimately, Himateja failed to validate his selection in the semifinal, scoring a duck against North Zone. He was subsequently dropped from the final playing XI, making way for Devdutt Padikkal.

Nair’s century in the KSCA warm-up match has only fueled the debate surrounding his exclusion, given his vast experience and consistent run-scoring record in domestic cricket.

East Zone declared 708 in their first innings of the final, establishing a challenging target for South Zone to pursue. The team had advanced to the final after overcoming defending champions Central Zone by four wickets in the semifinal.

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