Karun Nair continued his dream run with the bat, scoring an unbeaten century to help Vidarbha reach 264 for six on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal against Tamil Nadu in Nagpur on Saturday. The 33-year-old Nair, who has been in stellar form, brought up his 22nd first-class century. This knock follows his century against Hyderabad in the previous round, and it adds to his four consecutive hundreds in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy. Nair’s knock of 100 not out came off 180 balls and included 14 boundaries and one six, once again proving his class and consistency.
Opting to bat first, Vidarbha had a shaky start, losing three quick wickets to find themselves at 44 for 3. However, Nair found an able partner in Danish Malewar, who played a pivotal role in rescuing the innings.
The two batters forged a crucial 98-run partnership for the fourth wicket, bringing the score to 142 and stabilising the innings after the early collapse.
Malewar was dismissed for 75 after he was caught by M Mohammed off Vijay Shankar’s bowling in the 47th over. His knock, which included 13 well-timed boundaries, was crucial in ensuring Vidarbha’s recovery.
After Malewar’s departure, Nair took the reins, continuing to anchor the innings. He added 64 runs with Akshay Wadkar (24), guiding the team closer to 250.
Nair celebrated his half-century with a stylish sweep against Sai Kishore for a boundary and then reached three figures with a single off S Ajith Ram in the 86th over.
At stumps, Nair was still at the crease with Harsh Dubey (19 not out) for company.
For Tamil Nadu, Shankar was the pick of the bowlers, claiming two wickets for 50 runs. M Mohammed (1/50), Sonu Yadav (1/55), S Ajith Ram (1/50), and Mohammed Ali (1/16) also made contributions with the ball.
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