Vidarbha batter Karun Nair has taken his batting average in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) - domestic 50-over tournament - to 752 after scoring unbeaten 88 in the second semi-final against Maharashtra on Thursday (Jan 16).
In eight matches he has played in so far, Nair has smashed five hundreds and one fifty while being dismissed only once. His performance comes at a time when the BCCI is looking to announce the squad for upcoming England ODIs and the Champions Trophy 2025.
Also Read: India Champions Trophy Squad Announcement Live Updates
Karun Nair's record runs in VHT
He started the tournament with 112 not out against Jammu and Kashmir on December 23 and followed it up with 44 not out against Chhattisgarh three days later. In the next match against Chandigarh, Nair scored 163 not out—his highest in the tournament so far.
In the fourth match against Tamil Nadu, Nair hit 111 not out on December 31 to ring in the New Year in style. In the next VHT match against Uttar Pradesh, Nair scored 112 and was dismissed for the first time in the tournament. He didn't bat in the match against Mizoram before scoring another hundred on Sunday (Jan 12) and following it up with 88 not out in the semi-final on January 16.
Nair takes off for Vidarbha in semi-final
Against Maharashtra on Thursday, Nair walked in to bat at number three with his team being at 224/1 in the 35th over when Dhrub Shorey (114) was dismissed. Nair lost Yash Rathod (116) soon but added 93 runs for the third wicket with Jitesh Sharma (51 off 33) balls.
Vidarbha added 42 runs in the last 11 balls after Jitesh was out with Nair smashing 37 of them, including 24 runs in the last over. Have a look at the onslaught below:
I.C.Y.M.I
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) January 16, 2025
4⃣,6⃣,4⃣,4⃣,6⃣
Karun Nair finished the innings off in style with 24 runs off the final over, remaining unbeaten on 88 off 44 balls as Vidarbha posted 380/3! 🔥#VijayHazareTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/AW5jmfoiE1 pic.twitter.com/7VSZQxaQqX
Nair's team eventually finished at 380/3 in the 50 overs. The winner will face Karnataka, who beat Haryana in the first semi-final, in the title match on January 18.