Karun Nair has done everything possible to get Champions Trophy call-up

Karun Nair could not have timed his return to form better, just in time for the announcement of India's squad for the Champions Trophy. Nair has impressed everyone with 752 runs in 7 innings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, India's premier domestic 50-over event.

Even Sachin Tendulkar took notice. "Performances like these don’t just happen, they come from immense focus and hard work. Keep going strong and make every opportunity count," posted the legend.

Nair hit five centuries and a fifty, striking at 125. He was only dismissed once and thereby tallied an outrageous average of 752. He scored an 88 not out in Vidarbha's 69-run win over Maharashtra in the semifinals. The 33-year-old, who captains Vidarbha, will face his home state of Karnataka in the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Vadodara on Saturday. It is the same day the BCCI is expected to declare its provisional squad for the Champions Trophy, set to begin on February 19.

Nair would wish to finish the incredible domestic campaign with some silverware. He made his ODI debut in 2016 and also got to the Test squad the same year. He famously scored a triple hundred in his third Test, but then he vanished from the national scene.

Nair is unlikely to make the India squad for the Champions Trophy unless the selectors do something equally outrageous, like dropping Shreyas Iyer.

In December 2022, Nair put out a tweet that has gone viral now. "Dear cricket, give me one more chance," he posted back then, his fingers crossed. Cricket gave him a chance, and he took it. Now the question is, will the selectors give him the much-deserved second chance?