After being kept out of South Zone’s last match against East Zone, Karun Nair replied to a second consecutive Duleep Trophy snub by scoring a century in Bengaluru on Monday. He then posted a critical remark on X. In the Dr. (Capt.) K Thimmappaiah Memorial Tournament at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Nair, who has played ten Test matches for India, scored 104 off 183 balls with 12 fours and a six for the KSCA Secretary’s XI against Chhattisgarh.
With ten Test matches for India, Nair is the most seasoned member of the South Zone team. He reacted forcefully to the most recent rejection. Nair played for Secretary XI in a KSCA pre-season warm-up match against Chhattisgarh and scored a century while his teammates faced East Zone in the Duleep Trophy final.
After East Zone amassed a huge 708 in the final, South Zone’s decision to leave out a veteran batter was called into doubt by the century, which further demonstrated his current form. In response to a social media post that called his removal “inexplicable,” Nair wrote on X:
The century was scored on the same day that South Zone, who are playing East Zone in the Duleep Trophy final in Chennai, once again failed to notice Nair. Ishan Kishan scored 270 as East Zone scored a massive 708 in their opening inning. Additionally, Nair was not included in South Zone’s semifinal matchup with North Zone last week. The seasoned batsman, who hit 699 runs for Karnataka during the 2025–2026 Ranji Trophy season, is the most seasoned member of the current South Zone team.
Given his expertise and recent run-scoring record in domestic cricket, Nair’s century in the KSCA warm-up match has only deepened the controversy surrounding his exclusion. South Zone had a significant total to chase after East Zone scored 708 in their opening innings of the final. After defeating the reigning champions Central Zone by four wickets in their semifinal, East Zone advanced to the final.
