Ranji Trophy 2017: Karun Nair, the ‘forgotten one’, dusts up memory with disciplined century

With an unbeaten 148 in a total of 294/8, Karun Nair lived up to his reputation of scoring in big matches. (Source: PTI)

Karun Nair pushed an Aditya Sarvate delivery to mid-on, took a single to complete his 13th first-class hundred – third of the season – and had a stab at an improvised version of the dab (dance/celebration). Later, he would reveal it had been inspired by football.

“It’s just that everyone was telling me I don’t do anything (after reaching a milestone). I always just lift my bat, so everyone was asking me to do something different. I saw that celebration in football and just thought I would do it,” Nair said after the day’s play.

The innings he played on the second day of the Ranji Trophy semifinal between Karnataka and Vidarbha at Eden Gardens was a celebration of batting discipline. He stood between the excellent Vidarbha medium pacer Rajneesh Gurbani and a Karnataka batting collapse. At stumps, Nair was still at the crease on 148, while Karnataka, at 294/8, had extended their first innings lead to 109.

The ball continued to move in the air and off the deck on Day Two. But Nair out-thought the Vidarbha bowlers. He left alone almost everything outside the off-stump and hardly attempted a cover drive. He also consciously avoided playing on the rise. When the bowlers lost patience and bowled straight, he picked the gaps. When they dropped it short, Nair punished them.

He came to the crease on the first evening, when Karnataka had lost two early wickets. He saw his team lose its third immediately after his arrival. It was important for Nair to forge partnerships on Monday. CM Gautam gave him excellent company in the morning, adding 139 runs for the fourth wicket. Gautam was the aggressor to start with, taking two boundaries against Siddhesh Neral in the first over of the day. Why did the third-choice seamer open proceedings ahead of Umesh Yadav was anybody’s guess. Then again, Umesh was pretty disappointing himself, as he strayed in line and length frequently.

The pitch played a little slow in the first session, thanks to heavy morning moisture. A couple of edges didn’t carry to the slips. And inconsistent Vidarbha bowling saw Karnataka take 64 runs in the first 14 overs of the day. On Sunday, 14 overs in the evening session had yielded 36 runs. Gautam got out on what was the final ball before lunch, slashing at a wide delivery from Umesh to Akshay Wakhare at deep point. A poor shot in the context of the game opened the door for Vidarbha and Gurbani barged in after the break.

Gurbani’s dream run

The seamer came back brilliantly after being hit for a six by Nair. A superb out-swinger accounted for Stuart Binny. Then, Gurbani landed one on the seam and made the delivery move away from Shreyas Gopal. Faiz Fazal at first slip came up with a blinder, diving to his left and grabbing the ball inches off the ground. That Fazal was momentarily blinded by the wicketkeeper’s dive made the catch even more special. In his next over, Gurbani dismissed Krishnappa Gowtham with a leg-cutter, with the batsman getting into a drive and presenting a catch to Apoorv Wankhade at gully. Gurbani had completed his third five-for in as many matches and in the president’s box, chief selector MSK Prasad had a first-hand view of the youngster’s talent. When Aditya Sarvate castled Abhimanyu Mithun, Karnataka were only 40 runs ahead with two wickets remaining. But skipper Vinay Kumar braved a leg-muscle cramp and extended quality support to Nair, adding 69 runs in an unbroken ninth-wicket stand. That Umesh didn’t test the tail-ender with fast yorkers was a tad surprising.

But back to Nair and his sublime knock… One year to the day, when he scored 303 not out against England in Chennai to become only the second Indian batsman to post a Test triple ton, Nair was doing the hard grind for his state team. Life has been topsy-turvy for the 26-year-old since that landmark achievement. He was dropped for India’s next Test because Ajinkya Rahane returned from injury. In fact, Nair featured in only three more Tests following his triple century. He was overlooked for the away and home series against Sri Lanka. His season’s best so far, in difficult batting conditions, sent a reminder to the three-man selection committee. “I had it (303) at the back of my mind,” Nair said.

He never said anything about his omission after the triple hundred but his father, Kaladharan, put things in perspective, supporting Rahane’s inclusion and describing his son “a strong boy” who wouldn’t lose confidence. On Monday, Nair oozed confidence and character and showed his ability to bat with the tail without changing his own game. “The pressure situations bring the best out of me. It makes me concentrate harder.”

Brief scores: Vidarbha 185 vs Karnataka 294/8 in 93 overs (Karun Nair 148*, CM Gautam 73; R Gurbani 5/90).