Karun Nair’s Inspiring Comeback: A Deep Dive into His Stellar Performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25
CricketPanditKarun Nair, once a rising star in Indian cricket, has staged a remarkable comeback in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25. Leading Vidarbha, the 32-year-old has been in sublime form, amassing a jaw-dropping 752 runs in just seven innings.
COMEBACK STORY:
“Dear cricket, give me one more chance,” Karun Nair expressed in a post on X (formerly Twitter) in December 2022, as he faced the possibility of his cricketing career coming to a painful close. However, the middle-order batter made a remarkable turnaround over the next 12-13 months and is now reportedly back in contention for national selection. Nair’s journey is one of the most captivating stories in Indian cricket. He famously scored 303 against England in Chennai but struggled to secure a prominent role in India’s plans for Test cricket. Yet, with an outstanding performance in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, Nair’s impressive statistics have compelled the Ajit Agarkar-led national selection committee to take notice. The captain of Vidarbha, who has been in exceptional form, came in at number three and took apart the already beleaguered Maharashtra bowlers. His innings included nine fours and five sixes. Nair’s 88-run contribution brought his total runs in the tournament to 752 in just seven matches, boasting an incredible average of 752, having been dismissed only once. Earlier, he scored his fifth century against Rajasthan, propelling Vidarbha into the semifinals.
Karun Nair records
Nair has surpassed Maharashtra captain Ruturaj Gaikwad’s record for the most runs by a captain in a single Vijay Hazare Trophy season. He is the only captain to have scored over 700 runs in a season. Gaikwad previously set the record with 660 runs in five innings during the 2022-23 season, averaging 220 with four centuries. This season, Nair has achieved five centuries, tying Tamil Nadu’s N Jagadeesan for the most tons in a single season. If Vidarbha reaches the final and Nair scores 79 or more, he could break Jagadeesan’s record for the most runs in a season. The 33-year-old is also on par with former Karnataka teammate Devdutt Padikkal, former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara, and ex-South African batter Alviro Petersen, all of whom have four consecutive List A hundreds.
After playing for Karnataka until the 2022-23 season, Nair moved to Vidarbha last season. This is his first tournament as a skipper in any format.and also take vidarbha to their first final in vijay hazare trophy.
Karun Nair has been beaten only a single time in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 campaign, scoring 112*, 44*, 163*, 111*, 112 ,122*.and 88*
Recent incredible performance 🔥:
752
Runs
7
Inns
752.00
Average
125.96
Strike rate
| Match | Date | Score | ||
| 2nd-Semi-Final ODI vs MAH | 16 Jan | 88 (44) | ||
| 2nd Qtr Finalnd ODI vs RAJ | 12 Jan | 122 (82) | ||
| 95th ODI vs UP | 3 Jan | 112 (101) | ||
| 75th ODI vs TN | 31 Dec | 111 (103) | ||
| 57th ODI vs CG | 28 Dec | 163 (107) | ||
| 40th ODI vs CHG | 26 Dec | 44 (52) | ||
| 23rd ODI vs J&K | 23 Dec | 112 (108)
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RECENT MATCHES SCORECARD OF KARUN NAIR
| Match | Bat | Bowl | Date | Ground | Format |
| Vidarbha vs Maharashtra | 88* | 0/7 | 16-Jan-2025 | Vadodara | List A |
| Vidarbha vs Rajasthan | 122* | — | 12-Jan-2025 | Vadodara | List A |
| Vidarbha vs Mizoram | — | — | 05-Jan-2025 | Vizianagaram | List A |
| Vidarbha vs UP | 112 | — | 03-Jan-2025 | Vizianagaram | List A |
| Vidarbha vs Tamil Nadu | 111* | 0/12 | 31-Dec-2024 | Visakhapatnam | List A |
| Vidarbha vs Chandigarh | 163* | — | 28-Dec-2024 | Visakhapatnam | List A |
| Vidarbha vs Chhattisgarh | 44* | — | 26-Dec-2024 | Vizianagaram | List A |
| Vidarbha vs J + K | 112* | — | 23-Dec-2024 | Vizianagaram | List A |
| Vidarbha vs Mumbai | 26 | — | 11-Dec-2024 | Alur | T20 |
| Vidarbha vs Chhattisgarh | 4 | — | 03-Dec-2024 | Vizianagaram | T20 |
