Karun Nair slams Ranji Trophy half-century after Test snub: Stats
What's the story
The opening day of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season saw a stellar performance from Karnataka against Saurashtra. A partnership between Devdutt Padikkal (96) and Karun Nair (73) helped their team reach a solid position at the end of Day 1. The match is being played at Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. Nair, who helped Vidarbha win the Ranji Trophy last season, had switched back to Karnataka, who ended Day 1 with a score of 295/5.
Match details
Partnership brings stability to Karnataka's innings
Karnataka captain Mayank Agarwal and S. Nikin Jose were put under pressure by Saurashtra's bowlers, led by their skipper Jaydev Unadkat. However, Padikkal and Nair came together for a vital third-wicket partnership of 146 runs after the early dismissals of Agarwal and Jose. The duo stabilized the innings with a patient approach, rotating the strike effectively to keep the scoreboard ticking. However, Dharmendra Jadeja broke the partnership by trapping Nair leg before wicket.
Runs
38th fifty for Nair in FC cricket
Nair's 73 was laced with 9 fours. He consumed 126 deliveries. Playing his 121st First-Class match, Nair has raced to 8,748 runs at an average of around 49. This was his 38th fifty in FC cricket (100s: 24). As per ESPNcricinfo, in 71 Ranji matches (118 innings), Nair owns 5,174 runs at 47.90. This was his 19th fifty in the premier FC competition. He has 17 100s as well.
Nair
Nair dropped from the Test side
Nair returned to the Test fold in England after a long gap of nearly seven years. He played four matches but only managed one half-century, which came during the final Test at The Oval. Despite getting starts and looking solid at the crease, he struggled to convert those into big scores that could have secured his spot in the team. Thereafter, the selectors dropped him for the recently concluded 2-Test series against West Indies at home.
In ENG
An average of 25.62 in the England tour for Nair
Nair scored 0 and 20 at the Headingley in Leeds. In Birmingham, he got 31 and 26. In the 3rd Test at Lord's, Nair managed 40 and 14. He was dropped for the 4th Test in Manchester. He made a comeback in the final Test and got 57 and 17. In 4 Tests (8 innings), Nair returned with a modest 205 runs at 25.62. Overall, 579 of his FC runs have come in Test cricket from 10 matches.