Karun Nair's Test comeback in England was one of the most anticipated storylines of the summer. After more than eight years away from the format, the right-hander finally earned a recall and was given multiple chances to have his place.
But despite starts in almost every innings, the big score never came. As India prepared for the crucial Manchester Test at Old Trafford, Nair was left out.
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And that's when a video of him appearing to be consoled by close friend KL Rahul started making the rounds online.
Viral Karun Nair crying video sparks confusion
The clip showed Nair in tears on a players' balcony with Rahul beside him - which quickly fueled sympathy and discussion among fans. But the viewers noticed something odd: the background appeared to be the Lord's balcony, not Old Trafford.
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This raised doubts about whether the footage was actually from the Manchester Test.
I still remember Karun Nair's tears a few days ago. I felt very bad to see him in this condition. When no one stood with him, KL was with him. He did not leave his friend alone in this difficult time, and today Karun has once again proved his ability. I am very happy for him.❤️ pic.twitter.com/cv9UTMgp9g
— KLR (@KLRNation1) July 31, 2025
Karun Nair confirms clip was AI-generated
Speaking to InsideSport, Nair set the record straight. He explained that the viral video was not authentic.
"I think that was an AI-generated video. That’s not the real video at all. Yes, we were sitting on the balcony, but everything that was shown in that video wasn't real," he said.
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The 33-year-old added that while he was naturally disappointed about missing the final Test, the presence of familiar faces in the squad made the tour easier to handle. He also revealed that having Karnataka teammates KL Rahul and Prasidh Krishna around was a major boost during the tour.
"It was good to have Prasidh and KL with me. Really had a lot of fun in the last 2 months. We spent a lot of time together. Discussed a lot about cricket, about being back in the dressing room, and everything else," he said.
🚨INSIDESPORT EXCLUSIVE🚨
— InsideSport (@InsideSportIND) August 10, 2025
Karun Nair’s 1st interview after his comeback in the Indian team 🤩👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/OQMYo65mYl
As AI-generated media becomes more common in sports, incidents like this underline the importance of verifying content before drawing conclusions.