Team India batsman Karun Nehru has sent a message to chief selector Ajit Agarkar ahead of the two-match Test series against South Africa. The right-handed batsman scored his 26th first-class century in the Ranji Trophy Group B match between Karnataka and Kerala in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday.
Nair returned to Test cricket for the first time in nearly nine years during the tour of England. But after a solitary half-century, he averaged just over 120 with scores in the mid-20s. He appeared to have settled into the crease, but was unable to clinch a start. The batsman was left out of the squad for the recent West Indies series.
Karun Nehru scores double century in Ranji Trophy 2025-26
Karun Nehru has once again put himself in the selection conversation with his batting performance in the ongoing Ranji Trophy. He smashed a century in the red ball tournament against Kerala.
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The veteran batsman reached the milestone in just 163 pitches. Notably, he scored an unbeaten 174 against Goa in the previous match and scored 73 in the opener against Saurashtra.
India are yet to announce their squad for the Test series against South Africa, but Nair could be considered for selection given his current form. He will be up against Sai Sudarsan, who is currently playing for India A against South Africa A but has not made an impact with the bat.
Karun Nair joins Rahul Dravid in elite list of Karnataka cricketers
Karun Nair also achieved the 9,000-run milestone in first-class cricket. With this feat, he became the sixth batsman for Karnataka to cross the landmark, joining an elite group that includes Rahul Dravid, GR Vishwanath, Brijesh Patel, Syed Kirmani and Robin Uthappa.
Playing his 123rd first-class match, Nehru has scored over 9,090 runs, including 26 centuries and 38 fifties, at an average of close to 50 runs. He also had a great performance in Ranji Trophy.
Nile scored over 5,450 runs in 73 matches at an average of over 47, including 19 hundreds and 19 half-centuries. He has continued to perform well this season, making it even more likely that he will return to the Test squad. He has scored 579 runs at 41.35 in 10 Tests, including three centuries.
Karun Nair rescues Karnataka from early collapse against Kerala
Karnataka won the toss and elected to bat first. The Kerala bowlers quickly removed openers Mayank Agarwal and Aneesh KV, leaving the visiting team reeling at 13/2. Karun Nehru walked to the crease despite being under pressure and stabilized the innings with a calm approach.
The right-handed batsman added a crucial 123-run partnership with KL Shrijith for the third wicket. Shrijith helped Karnataka regain control with his 65 runs before Baba Aparajith broke the stand.
Nair then continued to anchor the innings with another century partnership and added an unbeaten 183-run stand with Smaran R. for the fourth wicket. Karnataka ended the first day at 319/3 from 90 overs with Nair (142*) and Semaran (88*) at the crease.
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