ENG vs IND: Karun Nair's return to Tests after 8 years ends in heartbreak

Indian batters are enjoying a great day with the bat against England in the first of the five-match Test series at Headingley, Leeds, as three of their batters — Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant — went on to score hundreds. However, amidst all this, Karun Nair, who was returning to Test cricket after a long gap of 8 years, failed to capitalise on the moment and the advantage of a batting-friendly wicket, and was dismissed for a four-ball duck by English skipper Ben Stokes, who claimed his third wicket of the innings. 

 

Nair, who went viral after his tweet asking cricket for one more chance, was added to the Indian Test squad for England after his brilliant run with the bat in the domestic circuit. Nair missed 77 Tests between his last appearance. He is number four on the list of Indian players who have missed the most Tests between two appearances. His last Test appearance came back in March 2017.

 

Most Tests missed for India between two appearances

 

Player	Tests Missed	Years Between Appearances
Jaydev Unadkat	118	2010–2022
Dinesh Karthik	87	2010–2018
Parthiv Patel	83	2008–2016
Karun Nair	77	2017–2025 *
Abhinav Mukund	56	2011–2017