After being dropped from India's Test side in England earlier this year, Karun Nair has made a statement with an excellent start to the Ranji Trophy.
Nair started brightly for Karnataka during their opening game of the season, striking 73 in their first innings against Saurashtra in an evenly matched draw. However, he really hit his straps in the current round of games, hitting a lone effort century against Goa.
Having come in at 26-2, Nair struck 174 off 267 balls, with only one other member of the side, Shreyas Gopal, reaching 50. Nair finished unbeaten as Karnataka ended their first innings on 371 – his 24th first-class century. Those runs also took his total from his first three innings of the season to 255.
Match 27, Karnataka vs Goa
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Can Nair make a Test comeback once again?
It's a crucial time for Nair, who was dropped from India's Test side for the second time after failing in their series against England earlier this year. Nair played the first Test of the series in Leeds, but was out for a duck batting at No.6 in the first innings and made only 20 in the second. He got starts in the second and third Test, but wasn't able to convert into meaningful scores, and he was left out of India's XI for the fourth Test. He came back in in place of Shardul Thakur for the fifth, and made an important half-century in India's first innings.
However, it wasn't enough for Nair to retain his place for India's home summer, and at 33, the prospect of his Test career is hanging by a thread.
Nair made his Test debut almost a decade ago, and scored a memorable triple century against England in Chennai in his second game. However, he struggled against Australia in the following year's Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and had to wait eight years until his Test recall came in England.
A productive start in the Ranji Trophy this year, gives him the best possible chance of making another remarkable comeback.
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