Media365
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.
