It had been a long wait — 3149 days to be precise — but Karun Nair finally has another fifty-plus score to his name in Test cricket . The right-hander, who once lit up the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai with a remarkable 303 not out against England in December 2016, reached an unbeaten 52 at stumps on Day 1 of the fifth Test on Thursday, marking his first significant score in nearly nine years.
This gap between two fifty-plus scores in men's Tests is the second-longest for an Indian batter, since the second World War. The only Indian with a longer drought is Parthiv Patel , who endured 4426 days between his fourth and fifth Test fifties — from 54 against Australia in October 2004 to 67 against England in November 2016.
Nair's resilient half-century came after a series of promising, but thrown-away starts during previous matches. It was a major highlight of the opening day's play at The Oval, helping India cross the 200-run mark and stitching a half-century partnership with Washington Sundar, which will resume on day two.
This tour marks Nair's return to international cricket after eight years.
India's assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate hailed Nair's fighting half-century against England. "He started off at six in the first test and then batted at three for the other two tests. I always said, and we always thought, that his tempo and his rhythm were very good. He is a quality player, particularly for that reason that he can absorb the pressure. So going in today at a different position, again, I thought he summed up the conditions really well. Look, when someone comes back into the test side like he does after a lengthy absence, the pressure is always there, and I think he has handled that very well."
In the series, Nair has made 183 runs in four Tests and seven innings at an average of 30.50, with a best score of 52*. His scores in the other three Tests were 0 and 20 in Headingley, 31 and 26 at Edgbaston and 40 and 14 at Lord's.
This gap between two fifty-plus scores in men's Tests is the second-longest for an Indian batter, since the second World War. The only Indian with a longer drought is Parthiv Patel , who endured 4426 days between his fourth and fifth Test fifties — from 54 against Australia in October 2004 to 67 against England in November 2016.
Nair's resilient half-century came after a series of promising, but thrown-away starts during previous matches. It was a major highlight of the opening day's play at The Oval, helping India cross the 200-run mark and stitching a half-century partnership with Washington Sundar, which will resume on day two.
This tour marks Nair's return to international cricket after eight years.
India's assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate hailed Nair's fighting half-century against England. "He started off at six in the first test and then batted at three for the other two tests. I always said, and we always thought, that his tempo and his rhythm were very good. He is a quality player, particularly for that reason that he can absorb the pressure. So going in today at a different position, again, I thought he summed up the conditions really well. Look, when someone comes back into the test side like he does after a lengthy absence, the pressure is always there, and I think he has handled that very well."
In the series, Nair has made 183 runs in four Tests and seven innings at an average of 30.50, with a best score of 52*. His scores in the other three Tests were 0 and 20 in Headingley, 31 and 26 at Edgbaston and 40 and 14 at Lord's.
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