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On Monday at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Karun Nair delivered an unbeaten 124 off just 48 balls to lead the Mysore Warriors to a 27-run victory (VJD method) over the Mangaluru Dragons in the Maharaja Trophy T20 league.
Nair’s explosive 40-ball century helped Mysore post an imposing score of 226/4 in their 20 overs. The Mangaluru Dragons, whose innings were interrupted by rain, were given a revised target of 166 runs from 14 overs but fell short, marking their second defeat of the season.
Nair displayed explosive form as he and his partner added 47 runs, the second-highest partnership of the innings. Karthik S.U, who had been dropped twice earlier, eventually fell to MB Darshan in the eighth over, leaving Mysore at 61/2.
Undeterred, Nair continued his aggressive innings, reaching a swift half-century off just 27 balls with a mix of sweeping and scooping shots. Meanwhile, Samit Dravid (16) was dismissed by Nischit Rao immediately after hitting him for a six.
In the 15th over, Nair smashed Paras Gurbax Arya for two sixes and a four, then took on Nischith Rao with three massive sixes, bringing up his century off just 40 balls. His innings included 13 fours and nine sixes.
Nair concluded the innings emphatically, blasting five consecutive boundaries (6, 6, 4, 4, 4) to propel Mysore to a formidable total of 226/4 in their 20 overs.
‘STILL EXCITING TO WAKE UP EACH MORNING AND DREAM OF FINDING A WAY BACK TO PLAY TEST CRICKET’
Before the match, Nari told ESPNcricinfo that he still holds hopes of making a comeback to Test cricket for India.
“They say a player peaks at 30-31, I would like to believe that’s true in my case,” Nair said.
“The last one year has been good. After last year’s Maharaja T20, I had a pretty good domestic season.”
Last season, Nair amassed 690 runs, playing a key role in Vidarbha’s journey to the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy final.
“I am just making sure if I get opportunities, wherever it may be, the focus is on making the most of those chances so that I can climb up the stairs again”
“If you told me at the start of last season that I would score these many runs, I would have taken that,” Nair said. “I had been at home for a year, staved off opportunities, and when nothing worked out, I asked myself what I could do. So when I got the chance, it felt good to be able to contribute again. The tough years have helped me push myself that much more. For me, the most important game is the one I am playing now. Be it a league game or a domestic game, I have learnt not to look far ahead.”
“I feel like I’m batting as well as I’ve ever done. I am in a good head space, I know where my game is. I am just making sure if I get opportunities, wherever it may be, the focus is on making the most of those chances so that I can climb up the stairs again. It’s still exciting to wake up each morning and dream of finding a way back to play Test cricket. That keeps me going. I would love to win trophies; we missed out in the Ranji last year. I will try to correct it this year,” he added.
