Chennai: A day after K.L. Rahul missed a double hundred by a run on Sunday, his Karnataka team-mate and close friend Karun Nair more than made up for it with a triple century the next day. Karun owned the fourth day of the fifth Test against England at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. The No.5 batsman’s rollicking knock of 303 (381 balls, 32x4s, 4x6s) powered India to 759/7, their highest in Tests.
Karun’s blistering knock has reaffirmed Chepauk’s hallowed place in Test cricket’s history as it’s the only venue in the country to witness a triple hundred, not just once, twice. Virender Sehwag scored 319, the highest individual score by an Indian, against South Africa here in 2008.
The diminutive middle-order batsman, who made his debut in the third Test of this series only because of an injury to Ajinkya Rahane, has rewritten the script of the final Test, which until lunch on fourth day was heading for a draw on a batting paradise. England were 12 for no loss in five overs at stumps. With Alastair Cook & Co still requiring 270 to make India bat again on the final day, one needn’t be a Nostradamus to say that only the hosts can force a result.
While a glorious cover drive marked his double hundred, a ferocious square-cut by him brought up the rare landmark. Exhibiting admirable fitness under energy-sapping conditions, the 25-year-old ladlooked classical in many ways and was outstanding, but never shied away from meeting modern-day demands.
He time and again employed the reverse sweep and even went over the wicketkeeper’s head with ramp shots.
