Karun Nair's Hits 4th Century, Puts Vidarbha On Brink of Ranji Trophy Triumph
Karun Nair scored his fourth Ranji Trophy century for Vidarbha against Kerala in the 2025 final, leading Vidarbha to 189/3 at tea with a crucial 182-run stand with Danish Malewar.
Only hours after revealing that he had once considered a move to Kerala, Karun Nair scored his fourth century of the Ranji Trophy against them in the 2025 final for Vidarbha at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur.
Chasing their third Ranji title, Vidarbha reached 189/3 at tea on the penultimate day, extending their overall lead to 226. Nair remained unbeaten on 100 (187 balls), forging a crucial 182-run third-wicket stand with Danish Malewar, who displayed grit with a 73 off 161 balls.
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The duo rescued Vidarbha after they were reduced to 7/2 in the third over of the morning. Earlier in the day, Vidarbha’s second innings began on a shaky note, losing both openers inside 2.2 overs. First-time finalists Kerala were bowled out for 342 on day three, conceding a 37-run first-innings lead.
Nair has a deep connection with Kerala. He was born in Rajasthan but his parents, Kaladharan and Prema Nair, hail from Kerala. Nair started his career as a Karnataka cricketer after his family moved to Bengaluru for his father’s job He spent almost a decade playing for Karnataka when, In August 2023, he was dropped across formats and chose to move.
On Friday, he had revealed that he had discussions about moving to Kerala but the talks didn’t materials and Vidarbha came in at the right time to sign his services.
“There were discussions about it. When I was sure I was going to leave Karnataka, I was looking at my options," Nair said in an interview with Malayalam Channel 24 on Friday. “There was some talk about it, but it didn’t go forward. I had offered myself to KCA, but it didn’t go forward. At the same time, I got an offer from Vidarbha. I wasn’t in a situation to wait, as I wasn’t in the best spot. I wanted to clear my mind and that was only possible by joining a team. So I joined Vidarbha," he added.
The right-handed middle-order batter didn’t rule out the possibility of moving to Kerala in the future either.
“You don’t know. If a situation like that comes up, we will see," he said.
Vidarbha only need a draw to clinch the title thanks to their first-innings lead. Kerala, on the other hand, will have to bowl them out and chase the target to get their hands on the coveted trophy.
(With PTI Inputs)
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