Who should be chosen for Karun Nair or Shreyas Iyer, India vs England tests?

With the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, the selectors are eyeing reinforcements with the India vs England series on the horizon. The Men in Blue are blessed with a plethora of talent, but replacing two legends of the game would be no mean task. Shreyas Iyer and Karun Nair are two front-runners to make the India squad for the England series and it remains to be seen who the selectors back to make the trip.

India vs England: Shreyas Iyer or Karun Nair, who makes the squad?

India has tried a plethora of options since Ajinkya Rahane’s last Test, but coach Gautam Gambhir is yet to settle on a middle-order batsman. Virat Kohli’s retirement creates a larger void, which needs immediate fixing with the India vs England series coming. With Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, and Sarfaraz Khan all struggling with injuries, the decision solely rests between two contenders: Shreyas Iyer and Karun Nair.

Both Shreyas Iyer and Karun Nair have seen their careers cut short due to increasing competition. Shreyas scored a century on debut but could only feature in a handful of Tests. The same was Karun Nair’s case, who failed to make the most of his chances after a scintillating triple century.

Karun vs Shreyas Test career

Shreyas played his last Test at home against England in 2024. The PBKS captain has played just a single Test in England, scoring 34 runs in two innings. Outside Asia, Shreyas has tallied just 75 runs in 6 innings, with a best effort of 31.

Karun, meanwhile, played all of his 6 Tests at home. The last of those games came back in 2017. The veteran has since made one of the most epic comebacks, scoring a truckload of runs in domestic cricket. Nair was third for most runs in the Ranji Trophy, and top scored in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He further added 255 runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to put himself in contention for an India call-up.

Nair has previously featured in the County Championships. The 33-year-old featured for Northamptonshire in 2023 and 2024. The latter was one of his best years, scoring a double century vs Glamorgan to tally 487 runs in 7 games.

Anil Kumble, the former Captain of Indian and Karnataka, supported Karun Nair in number 4 in India playing Xi. Kumble argued that Nair’s district cricket playing experience can help become a lynchpine on India.

“Karun deserves to return to the Indian team with its domestic running. Maybe it may be number 4 for India because I feel, you need some experience. You need someone in England and you need it. He has played the jack of the district, so he knows the conditions. Karun may be on the other side of 30, but still young,” He told Kumble Espncricinfo.

Age on Shreyas’s side

Karun Nair is 33 years old. Although the experience is the key, the selections and Aries Gautam Gambhir lean towards a young nucleus so far. This thought can be seen in the decision to appoint Shubman Gill as a captain via Jasprit Bumrah.

Shreyas has age next to it. If things go south in the future, it may even be a leadership option. Iyer took KKR and Mumbai to the titles in T20 competitions. At the age of 30, Shreyas will still settle and there will be a regular fixture in the Indian shot series.

Both Shreyas Iyer and Karun Nair have done enough to be in the mixture. However, only one of them makes the squad, SAi Sudharsan is set for a hymen. It is seen whether Karun’s district experience ignores Shreyas’s relative youth.