Karun Nair for No.3? Comeback star hits statement double hundred vs England Lions
India's Karun Nair was given a standing ovation at the St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury after he reached his double hundred while playing against England Lions on Saturday, May 31. Karun, on his return to the Indian Test team, gave a tremendous audition for the No.3 spot, completing his double century in 272 balls.Batting in the morning session of Day 2, in the 101st over of the match, Karun pulled pacer Eddie Jack for four, reaching the milestone. This also helped India cross the 450-run mark against England Lions, setting up a daunting total for them in the first tour game of the series.advertisementA sense of calm prevailed inside Karun after reaching his double century. Neither did he let out a roar, nor did he jump up high in the sky. He simply stepped down the pitch, removed the helmet and kissed the Indian flag, probably thanking cricket for giving him a second chance.Not everyone gets a second chance! But when you do make it count, like #KarunNair!The Indian batter roared back in style with an unbeaten 186 against ENG A which helped IND A finish at 409/3 at the end of Day 1!Watch Day 2 of Unofficial Test #ENGAvINDA | SAT, 31st pic.twitter.com/qDwND4X9w1— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) May 31, 2025
India A started off their day in style with both Karun and Dhruv Jurel looking in great touch. Jurel, who finished the Indian Premier League in tremendous form, played some beautiful straight drives to race to 94. The batter failed to convert his innings to a much-deserved century, edging the ball to the first slip in the 95th over of the game.
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The duo added 195 runs between them in just 234 balls, setting India up for a massive total in the first tour game. After the dismissal of Jurel, all-rounder Nitish Reddy came out to bat, but was not able to have a big impact on the game. After Nitish's dismissal, Shardul Thakur, one of India's heroes in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21, dished out some lusty blows against the Lions. He hit his shots with disdain, sending panic into the opposition's bowling line-up.Karun, on the other side, remained calm, unbothered by Shardul's belligerence as India had fun in the second half of the morning session on Day 2 of the unofficial Test match.Karun's Audition for No.3The batter has put himself in the forefront for the No.3 position in the England series. Nair's maturity and able to keep the team stable in the morning hours could turn out to be of huge asset to India, who would be looking for some experience in the top order.Due to the retirement of Virat Kohli, it is likely that Shubman Gill will push himself down to the No.4 position, which will leave the No.3 spot empty in the team. In case India open with KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal in the Test matches, Nair is likely to trump Sai Sudharsan for that position.Karun Nair's Ranji Trophy 2025advertisementThe double hundred against England Lions was not an isolated incident. Karun Nair has raked up runs for Vidharbha coming into this game.Karun seized the opportunity with Vidarbha in the tournament, hitting 863 runs in nine matches at an average of 54. That included four hundreds and two fifties. One of those centuries came in the final, against none other than Kerala, helping Vidarbha lift the title. In the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy, Karun smashed 779 runs in eight innings, including five centuries.Must Watch
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