Vidharbha’s batter, Karun Nair, who impressed everyone with his performance in Vijay Hazare Trophy, shone brightly on Saturday, scoring a century against Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy 2024/25 quarterfinal at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. The 33-year-old Nair reached his century in 171 balls, hitting 14 fours and one six. This was his third century of the First-Class season and the 22nd of his entire career. By the time of writing, he’s still not out.
Karun Nair’s crucial partnership against Tamil Nadu
On Saturday, Nair came to bat with his team struggling at 44 for three. He shared a partnership of 98 runs with Danish Malewar for the fourth wicket, followed by a 64-run stand with captain Akshay Wadkar for the sixth wicket, helping Vidarbha navigate out of a difficult situation.
Check Vidharbha vs Tamil Nadu Ranji Trophy quarterfinal scoreboard here
Nair continues steller form
Nair has been in excellent form this season. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, a List A competition, he hit five centuries and scored a total of 752 runs, the highest by any player in a single edition of the tournament. Remarkably, he also scored 542 runs without being dismissed, setting a new record in List A cricket.
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Vidarbha in strong position
Vidarbha opted to bat first and ended the day at 264/6 in 89 overs. The team’s innings started shakily, losing early wickets at regular intervals. Atharva Taide got out for a duck, while Aditya Thakare and Dhruv Shorey also fell quickly, leaving Vidarbha at 44/3. Danish Malewar provided some stability with a solid 75 off 119 balls. The real hero of the day was Karun Nair, who scored an unbeaten 100 off 180 deliveries, cracking 14 fours and a six to anchor the innings. Akshay Wadkar and Yash Rathod chipped in with 24 and 13 runs, respectively. Harsh Dubey remained not out on 19. Tamil Nadu’s bowlers, led by Vijay Shankar with 2/50, made the batsmen work hard for runs.
