Karun nair stakes claim for test return with glorious double century for india a - the statesman

Continuing his glorious run of form in red-ball cricket, Karun Nair staked claim for a return to the senior Test team ahead of the five-Test series against England, with a magnificent double

hundred for India A against England Lions at the St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury on Saturday. Nair, who began batting from his overnight score of 186 runs, resumed with the same confidence

on Saturday morning before getting to the landmark in 273 deliveries. He finally ended up on 204, which included 26 boundaries and a massive six. Advertisement Having spent multiple stints

with English county side Northamptonshire, the elegant right-hander is no stranger to English conditions, and appeared in complete control during his knock against the English Lions. Played

under grey skies with the ball nipping both ways, Karun successfully navigated the challenge before flourishing under the blazing sun. Advertisement This is the fourth occasion on which Nair

scored 200 runs or more in a single innings. His highest First-Class score is 328, which he scored while representing Karnataka against Tamil Nadu during the 2015-16 season. Nair is also

the second Indian batter, following Virender Sehwag to record a triple century in Test cricket. Having last played for India eight years ago, Nair’s double century could make him a

frontrunner to fill the vacant spots left by the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the senior team as they begin the transition phase under new skipper Shubman Gill during the

five-Test series against England, starting June 20. Against a below-par England Lions bowling, India A made merry with Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel also slamming 92 and 94, respectively

before missing their respective tons. India A eventually ended their innings at a mammoth 557. Advertisement