Mysore Warriors' skipper Karun Nair was completely in beast mode in the Maharaja T20 Trophy match against Mangalore Dragons at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday, August 19.
Karun unleashed his firepower as he went absolutely brutal on Mangalore Dragons' bowling, who were clueless in the face of his aggressive onslaught as he was smashing boundaries and sixes with ease. Karun Nair's aggressive innings left the bowlers in tatters as he powered his to a blistering century.
Karun Nair walked out to bat at No.3 when Mysore Warriors were 61/2 and began to take charge of the innings by leading the team from the front. The 32-year-old pulled out the shots from his arsenal and crafted a spectacular knock. In the 19th over, Nair completed his splendid century in just 43 balls as he hit a six towards the third-man to bring up his three-figure mark.
Karun Nair played a phenomenal unbeaten captain innings of 124 off 48 balls, including 13 fours and 9 sixes, at an impressive strike rate of 258.33. His knock helped Mysore Dragons post a solid total of 226/4 in 20 overs. Dragons' innings was all about Karun Nair's explosive batting, which single-handedly propelled the team to a formidable total.
Nair's efforts have been paid off as Mysore Warriors defeated Mangalore Dragons by 27 runs after the latter team's target was revised to 166 in 14 overs due to rain. With a target of 166, Warriors bowling attack restricted Dragons to 138/7 in 14 overs, with Codanda Ajit Karthik and Jagadeesha Suchith taking two wickets each.
'Dream of finding a way back to play Test cricket': Karun Nair
Following his blistering century knock in the Maharaja T20 Trophy match, Karun Nair opened up about his dream of returning to Test cricket. Nair rued over missing out on winning the Ranji Trophy for Vidarbha in the last season, where they lost to Mumbai Cricket at Wankhede Stadium.
"I feel like I'm batting as well as I've ever done. I am in a good head space, I know where my game is. I am just making sure if I get opportunities, wherever it may be, the focus is on making the most of those chances so that I can climb up the stairs again." Nair said at the press conference.
"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." he added.
Karun Nair was shot to fame with his splendid innings of 303 off 381 balls in the fifth Test against England in Chennai. His performance helped India win by 75 runs and an innings.
After the 2017 Test Series against Australia, Karun Nair was never picked in the Test squad. In Test cricket, Nair has amassed 374 runs, including a triple century, at an average of 62.33 in six matches.
