Karun Nair makes strong case before England Tests with rollicking 204 for India A against Lions
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Karun Nair's redemption arc in England began with a rollicking double century for India against the Lions on Day 2 of the first unofficial Test in Canterbury on Saturday.With the sun shining over Canterbury, Karun stepped on the crease with an ambition of continuing to thrive with his formula of success and making England Lions toil hard for wickets.He pulled the curtains down on the opening day with an unbeaten 186 and slowly found his rhythm after sprinting for a couple of singles.Nair's resolve to maintain his defensive stance and leave the deliverers travelling in the corridor of uncertainty continued as England Lions hunted for wickets with its unbridled pace attack.The 32-year-old had to wait till the final over of the 101st over to get his hands on the elusive landmark. Eddie Jack went wayward in line and length, allowing Nair to exploit the gap.He sent the ball racing towards the boundary rope for a four and brought up a sizzling double ton. Nair soaked in the sound of applause that echoed in the stadium and kissed his helmet to allow the landmark moment to sink in."Dear cricket, give me one more chance" was what Nair wished in December 2022. Since then, he has latched onto every opportunity to make a strong case for earning a spot in India's XI for the five high-stakes Tests against England, scheduled to kick off on June 20.Throughout his stay on the crease, Nair remained unfazed by his underwhelming run in the IPL and the events that took place at the other end.Dhruv Jurel kicked off the day with an air of positivity and picked up a boundary to mark the resumption of his swift blitzkrieg. However, he fell six runs shy of a deserved hundred. Ajeet Dale deceived Jurel to end his swashbuckling exploits on 94(120).Nitish Kumar Reddy showed intent but could survive for 22 deliveries after depositing the ball into the gloves of England Lions captain James Rew.Shardul Thakur went berserk in his limited stay and reeled off a couple of boundaries to race to 18 from 13 deliveries before Nair holed it to Rew off Zaman Akhter and returned with 204(281).
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