Ben Stokes traps Karun Nair for 2nd time (Tests): Stats
What's the story
Indian batter Karun Nair has once again come under the scanner after failing to convert his start in the third Test against England at Lord's. The No. 3 batsman was dismissed for 40 runs off 62 balls, failing to convert a promising start into a big score. Despite surviving the new ball spells initially, he fell to Ben Stokes later in the innings. Stokes has indeed given him a hard time in this series. Let's decode their rivalry.
Dismissal details
Nair falls to Stokes after promising start
Nair's latest dismissal came after he had stitched a 61-run partnership with KL Rahul. He was caught by Joe Root at first slip off Stokes's bowling. The ball angled in and straightened, catching Nair in the crease as he nicked it from the shoulder of his bat. Despite a review, the third umpire confirmed that Root's fingers were under the ball and ruled it a clean catch.
Battle
Two dismissals versus Stokes
Stokes has now dismissed Nair twice across four innings in this series. The batter has just managed 15 runs off 44 balls in this battle at a paltry average of 7.50. The two players met just once in Tests before this series. The opening game of the series saw Stokes trap Nair for a duck in the first innings. Besides him, Brydon Carse dismissed him twice in the preceding Test at Edgbaston. The remaining dismissal belongs to Chris Woakes.
Criticism
Only 117 runs across five innings
Nair's performance in the ongoing England tour has been disappointing so far. Across four innings, he has managed to score only 177 runs at a paltry average of 23.40. He has been guilty of converting his starts as his scores read: 0, 20, 31, 26, and now 40. Notably, the ongoing series marked Nair's first Test appearance since 2017. He has raced to 491 runs across nine Tests at 44.64. 303 of his runs came in a solitary innings.