Back with a bang! Karun Nair returns to national set up with century for India 'A' against England Lions
Karun Nair celebrated his return to the Indian Test team after a gap of eight years as he notched up a century for India 'A' against England Lions in Canterbury on Friday.
In the first of three warm up games ahead of India's Test series against England, the stylish right-handed batsman hit 14 fours as he brought up his century in 155 balls.
This is a big statement from the right handed batsman, who is looking to grab one of the top order positions left vacant by the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
Put in to bat first, India 'A' opened the innings with Yashasvi Jaiswal (24 of 55) and captain Abhimanyu Easwaran (8 of 17).
Nair came out to bat at Number 3, in the sixth over, after the captain was dismissed and he stitched a huge partnership with Sarfaraz Khan, who batted at Number 4.
The duo put on 181 runs for the third wicket before Khan was out for 92 (119), short of a well-deserved century. The 27-year-old Mumbai batsman played at an innocuous delivery, which was going down leg side, as his bottom edge made contact with the ball.
He was brilliantly caught by England Lions captain and wicketkeeper James Rew low to his left.
With the Indian Premier League still going on with many of the Test team's top order contenders still on duty for their franchises, Nair has just bumped himself up the queue regarding securing a spot in the Indian starting lineup in the England tour with this century.
Ever since the Indian squad for the 5-Test tour of England was announced, there has been a lot of chatter regarding which batters will play across the top order.
Veteran batsman Cheteshwar Pujara had his say, during a recent interview to a broadcaster, on this topic and stated, "The openers who batted in Australia in the BGT (Border-Gavaskar Trophy) series — KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal — should continue. Now talking about No. 3, at this stage we don't know whether Shubman Gill will bat there or drop to No. 4.
"Someone like Karun, who has done well in domestic cricket, I think the ideal position for Karun would be No. 4. If Shubman bats at No. 3, then Karun Nair comes in at No. 4," he said.
While the likes of Jaiswal, KL Rahul, and new skipper Shubman Gill will most likely occupy three of the top four positions, Nair will have to fend off Easwaran and Gujarat Titans' star Sai Sudharsan for the remaining spot in the top four.
A century in the first warm up game will only help Nair's case for a starting spot in the team.
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