Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], March 1 (ANI): India and Vidarbha batter Karun Nair’s dream domestic season continued as he scored yet another century, his ninth of the season during the Ranji Trophy final against Kerala on Saturday.
Nair ended day four of the Ranji final at 132* in 280 balls, with 10 fours and two sixes. His strike rate was 47.14. His team leads by 286 runs in their second innings and with a day of action left, they have their one hand on the Ranji Trophy already.
His nine centuries (in 30 innings) are tied with legendary Indian batter VVS Laxman (nine centuries in 22 innings in 1999-2000) as second-highest number of centuries in a domestic season, with iconic Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar (10 centuries in 30 innings in 1994-95 season) at the top.
During the ongoing Ranji season, Nair is the fourth-highest run-getter with 860 runs in nine matches and 16 innings at an average of 57.33, with four centuries and two fifties and a best score of 132*. He has a chance to overtake his teammate Yash Rathod (960 runs in 10 innings with five centuries), who is the top-run-getter in the tournament.
A massive highlight of his season was the Vijay Hazare Trophy one-day tournament, where he top-scored with 779 runs in nine matches and eight innings at a stunning average of 389.50 and a strike rate of 124.04, with five centuries and a fifty and best score of 163*. He played a massive role in his team’s run to the finals, where they lost to his former team, Karnataka.
In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 competition, Nair made 255 runs in six innings, averaging 42.50 at a strike rate of 177.08, with three half-centuries and the best score of 77.
Overall, in 24 matches and 30 innings, Nair has scored 1,894 runs at an average of 82.34, with nine centuries and six fifties and the best score of 163* during this domestic season.
This strong performance has re-ignited hopes for an India call-up for Nair, who last played for India in 2017. Nair was the only Test triple centurion for India after legendary opener Virender Sehwag. With a tour to England set to kickstart India’s ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 campaign and India looking at a team transition, Nair could very well have placed himself at the forefront for a recall.
In six Tests for India since his debut in 2016, he made 374 runs in seven innings at an average of 62.33, with the best score of 303*. Nair also played two ODIs for India, scoring 46 runs with the best score of 39.
Brief Scores: Vidarbha: 379 and 249/4 (Karun Nair 132*, Danish Malewar 73) lead Kerala: 342 (Sachin Baby 98, Aditya Sarwate 79, Darshan Nalkande 3/52). (ANI)
