Karun Nair slams his 26th First-Class century, completes 9,000 runs
What's the story
Karnataka's Karun Nair has added another feather to his cap by scoring his 26th First-Class century. The milestone was achieved during the Ranji Trophy Group B match against Kerala in Trivandrum on Saturday. The veteran cricketer reached the three-figure mark in the final session of the opening day. Nair also went past 9,000 First-Class runs during his stay. Here are his stats.
Knock
A vital hand from Nair
Batting first in the game, Karnataka were in trouble at 13/2 when Nair came to bat. However, he stood firm and took his team out of danger with a brilliant century. Nair powered his team with a 123-run stand for the third wicket with Krishnan Shrijith, who made 65 runs. He was then involved in another century stand with Ravichandran Smaran as Karnataka ended Day 1 on 319/3. Nair is unbeaten on a score of 142 from 251 balls.
Season highlights
Second century in this Ranji Trophy season
Nair's latest century is his second this season, the first being an unbeaten 174 against Goa in the last round. He had also scored a half-century against Saurashtra earlier in the tournament. It was a knock of 73. The stellar performances have not only highlighted Nair's batting prowess but also his consistency. Will these knocks pave the way for Nair's return to the Test team? This could be an interesting topic for the selectors.
Milestone achievement
Nair joins elite list of Karnataka cricketers
With his latest ton, Nair has also crossed the 9,000-run mark in First-Class cricket. As per Sportstar, he is now the sixth Karnataka batter to achieve this feat. The other five cricketers who have crossed this landmark are Rahul Dravid, G. Vishwanath, Brijesh Patel, Syed Kirmani and Robin Uthappa. This achievement further cements Nair's place among the greats of Karnataka cricket history.
Stats
An average of around 50
Playing his 123rd First-Class match, Nair currently owns 9,072 runs from 198 inings. This was his 26th hundred in FC cricket (50s: 38). As per ESPNcricinfo, in 73 Ranji matches, Nair currently has 5,498 runs at 50.44. This was his 19th hundred in the premier FC competition. He has as many fifties as well. 579 of his runs have come in 10 Tests for India at 41.35.
Career overview
Nair's return for England Tests
Nair returned to the Test fold for the England series earlier this year 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 following Test series against West Indies at home.