Ranji Trophy final: Karun Nair hits ninth century of season to put Vidarbha in firm position

Nagpur: Vidarbha in-form batter Karun Nair carried his sublime touch in the Ranji Trophy final against Kerala as he struck a century in the second innings to put his side in a solid position to claim the title at the VCA Stadium in Jamtha on Saturday. 

Batting in the second innings on day four, Nair walked in at No. 4 when the side was reeling at 7/2 following Kerala’s early breakthroughs. Adding to the overnight 37-run first-innings lead, partnering once again with Danish Malewar - his ally in a match-defining 215-run stand earlier - Nair thwarted Kerala’s comeback hopes with a fluent century off 184 balls. The partnership extended their lead by over 200 in the final session of the day.

This marked Nair’s second hundred in a Ranji Trophy final across four appearances since his Karnataka debut in 2013-14. In the first innings, he surpassed 8,000 first-class runs in his 152^nd match and, for the first time, crossed 800 runs in a single Ranji Trophy season. It was also his ninth century of the season and his celebration after reaching the three-figure mark also signalled the same.

The 33-year-old, who returned to prominence with a stellar Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign last month - amassing 752 runs and five centuries in seven innings - continued his fine form in the second phase of the Ranji Trophy. He struck a century in Vidarbha’s final league game against Hyderabad and followed it up with his 22^nd First-Class ton in the quarterfinal win over Tamil Nadu.

Nair featured in the Ranji Trophy final during his maiden First-Class season in 2013-14, where Karnataka secured the title against Maharashtra. The following year, he delivered a record-breaking 328 - the highest individual score in a Ranji final - against Tamil Nadu, earning Player of the Match honours as Karnataka successfully defended their crown.