India’s Karun Nair, who has been out of the national team reckoning, displayed magnificent form by scoring an unbeaten 142 runs for Karnataka against Kerala on the first day of their Ranji Trophy Group B encounter on Saturday. His stellar knock helped Karnataka reach a strong total of 319 for three at stumps.
After Karnataka opted to bat first, they faced early trouble with openers Aneesh KV (8) and captain Mayank Agarwal (5) departing cheaply. However, Nair anchored the innings brilliantly. He first built a vital partnership with wicketkeeper Krishnan Shrijith, who contributed 65 runs off 110 balls, stabilizing the team’s position. By the end of the day, Nair remained undefeated on 142, while Smaran Ravichandran was batting strongly on 88 runs off 143 deliveries. Their unbroken stand solidified Karnataka’s control over the match.
Nair’s commanding innings featured 14 boundaries and two sixes, showcasing his dominance. Shrijith’s contribution included 10 fours, helping to maintain a steady scoring rate during the middle overs. For Kerala, MD Nideesh (1/41), Nedumankuzhy Basil (1/58), and Baba Aparajith (1/65) managed to pick up a wicket each, but the day largely belonged to Karnataka’s resilient middle-order batsmen.
This century marks Nair’s second of the season, following an impressive unbeaten 174 against Goa in the previous round. This achievement also propelled him past the significant milestone of 9,000 runs in First-Class cricket. At 33 years old, Nair now stands as only the sixth Karnataka batter to reach this esteemed milestone, joining cricketing legends like Rahul Dravid, G. Vishwanath, Brijesh Patel, Syed Kirmani, and Robin Uthappa.
Despite his consistent performances, including two centuries and a half-century this season, Nair’s recent omission from the India A squad for the red-ball matches against South Africa A has been seen by many as a clear indication that his Test career with the national team might be at an end. Nair himself addressed this, stating to TOI that he is “only going to play the Ranji Trophy,” suggesting a focus on domestic cricket.
Brief Scores: At Thiruvananthapuram, Karnataka posted 319/3 in 90 overs. Karun Nair was unbeaten on 142, Smaran Ravichandran on 88*, and Krishnan Shrijith scored 65. Kerala’s wicket-takers included MD Nideesh (1/41), Nedumankuzhy Basil (1/58), and Baba Aparajith (1/65).