Karun Nair Hits 124 from 48 Balls in Maharaja Trophy T20, Dreams of India Test Return
Karun Nair smashed unbeaten 124 in the Maharaja T20 Trophy.
Karun Nair scored a match-winning 124 not out from just 48 deliveries, leading Mysore Warriors to a 27-run victory (VJD method) against Mangaluru Dragons in the Maharaja Trophy T20 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday.
Batting first, Karun Nair’s blistering century off 40 balls propelled Mysore to a mammoth total of 226/4 in 20 overs. The Mangaluru Dragons, interrupted by rain during their innings, faced a revised target of 166 runs in 14 overs but they fell short.
Meanwhile, Nair displayed explosive form as he and his partner added 47 runs, the second-highest partnership of the innings. Karthik S.U, who had been dropped twice, eventually fell to MB Darshan in the eighth over, leaving Mysore at 61/2.
However, Nair pressed on with his clever innings, reaching a half-century off just 27 balls. Nischit Rao then removed Samit Dravid (16) in the very next ball after Dravid had struck him for a six.
In the 15th over, Nair blasted two sixes and a four off Paras Gurbax Arya, then hit three sixes against Nischith Rao to bring up a century off just 40 balls in the penultimate over. His innings featured 13 fours and nine sixes.
Nair wrapped up the innings powerfully, hitting five back-to-back boundaries (6, 6, 4, 4, 4) and guiding Mysore to a robust total of 226/4 in their allotted 20 overs. Before the match, Nair told ESPNcricinfo that he still hopes to make a return to Test cricket for India.
“It’s still exciting to wake up each morning and dream of finding a way back to play Test cricket. That keeps me going. I would love to win trophies; we missed out in the Ranji last year. I will try to correct it this year,” Karun Nair said.
