Karun Nair: 752 average in Vijay Hazare Trophy, but to what avail?

Karun Nair, the forgotten triple centurion, has become one of the major talking points of Indian cricket these days. He admits to being himself ‘amazed’ at his superhuman feat at the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy – raking up 752 runs while being dismissed just once – as his adopted state Vidarbha take on Karnataka in the final on Saturday.

This effectively means that the Test discard now has an average of 752 (yes, you have heard it right) in the List A 50-overs tournament – making a strong case for him for a call-up in the ODI series against England and the ICC Champions Trophy. After he remained unbeaten on a 44-ball 88 in the semi-final against Maharashtra on Thursday, the 33-year-old’s sequence of scores in the tournament reads: 112, 44, 163, 111, 112, 122 and 88 (not out on all occasions).

After having switched allegiance from his home state Karnataka to Vidarbha last season, the team management named him as their white ball captain – and the experienced customer is revelling in his new role. For those statistically inclined, Nair became the first captain to cross the 700-mark in Vijay Hazare Trophy as he overtook Rituraj Gaikwad’s tally of 660 in 2022-23 season (as Maharashtra skipper).

‘’He (Karun) has emerged as a true leader of the side ever since he became the captain of our white ball teams. He is revelling in the role as the team is batting around him,’’ remarked Usman Ghani, coach of Vidarbha men’s team. ‘’The decision to use his experience as a captain was arrived at after consultation with Prashant Vaidya, chairman of the state cricket academy and I am glad that it’s producing the results for the team,’’ he said during a chat with National Herald.

A technically solid batter whose aim is to play Test cricket for India again, Karun seemed to have re-invented his game in white ball cricket as he plundered 24 runs in the final over against Maharashtra on Friday. Asked what is it that has made Karun hit the purple patch, the Vidarbha coach said: ‘’Karun has a very strong mind and had been backing himself in the tournament right through. For the final tomorrow, my advice for them will be to stay calm and start everything afresh.’’

T20 form on upward curve

Incidentally, Nair’s T20 game has also shown an upward trajectory in the 2024-25 season. In the Maharaja T20 Trophy hosted by Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), he walloped 560 runs in 12 matches at an average of 56.00 with a strike rate of 181 - with a century and five fifties in 12 innings with a best score of 124. He also did well in the last Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scoring 255 runs in six innings at an average of 42.50 with three centuries and a strike rate of 177.

It’s been eight years since he had last played a Test match but with a form like this, it’s difficult to keep someone like Karun out of contention anymore. ‘’Karun has also worked hard on his physical fitness and now hitting the ball as well as ever. He has got a good three-four years of international cricket in him and this form really serves as a reminder,’’ Ghani added.