Nagpur: The national selectors have finally acknowledged Vidarbha’s remarkable run in the domestic circuit by including two of its standout performers — batter Karun Nair and all-rounder Harsh Dubey — in the India ‘A’ squad for the upcoming tour of England.
The India ‘A’ team will travel ahead of the senior side’s Test series against England, and are scheduled to play two matches against England ‘A’. The squad will be led by Bengal opener Abhimanyu Easwaran.
Gold Rate
15 May 2025
With stalwarts like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and R Ashwin having retired from Test cricket, the India ‘A’ tour has become a crucial platform for aspiring players to stake their claim for spots in the senior team. Performances on this tour will be closely monitored by the selectors.
This marks a historic moment for Vidarbha cricket, as it is possibly the first time that two players from the region have made it to a touring India ‘A’ squad. Reports suggest it could have been three, had individual performances been prioritized over selection dynamics involving various state units.
Karun Nair and Harsh Dubey were instrumental in Vidarbha’s triumphant Ranji Trophy campaign earlier this year, which saw the team clinch the title for the third time. Dubey, a left-arm spinner, made headlines by picking up 69 wickets — the highest tally in a single Ranji season.
Posting seven five-wicket hauls, Dubey registered an astounding average of 16.98 in 10 matches of the last season. Karun Nair piled up 863 runs from nine matches in the Ranji Trophy with four centuries at an average of 49.59. The middle order batter hit a purple patch in the limited overs tournaments played in between the two phases of Ranji Trophy.
In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Nair carried Vidarbha to the final where they lost to Karnataka. Nair smashed 779 runs in eight One-day innings, including five centuries and one fifty, at an otherworldly average of 389.50. While it will be Dubey’s first England outing, Nair has the experience of county cricket. In 2023 and 2024, Nair played Northamptonshire, scoring 736 runs in 10 games at an average of 56.61. The middle order batter has posted two centuries and four half-centuries in the county outings.
Vidarbha’s prolific batter Yash Rathod was also a top contender for the England tour, reports added. However, the national selectors shied from picking three players from the same state, though all of them — Dubey, Nair and Rathod — deserved a place in India ‘A’ thanks to their recent performances. Living up to his pre-season goal of turning each outing into a big knock,
INDIA ‘A’ SQUAD:
Abhimanyu Easwaran (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel (VC & WK), Harsh Dubey, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shardul Thakur, Ishan Kishan (wk), Manav Suthar, Tanush Kotian, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sarfaraz Khan, and Tushar Deshpande.
