Karun Nair finally crossed the fifty-run mark in Test cricket for the first time since his epic 303 not out in Chennai in 2016 and it could not have come at a better time for both the team and himself. The fifth Test between India and England is being played on the spiciest surface of the series and with Shubman Gill told to bat first, the team was in trouble early on. India lost openers KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal early. Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill got out after starts and Dhruv Jurel too could not do much on his comeback. Ravindra Jadeja also failed.
India Vs England 5th Test: Karun Nair Saves Team, Career With Gritty 52* On Opening Day
India vs England fifth Test could have been his last chance to make it count and Karun Nair did make it count. The right-hander reached 52 not out at stumps playing 98 balls. He also played some crisp drives to get seven fours to his name
Amid all this, Nair who came into bat at number five, held his end and kept absorbing all the pressure. The Karnataka-born batter who played for Vidarbha last season, had never looked out of touch in the three matches that he played in this series. However, he could never make it big.
Fifth Test could have been his last chance to make it count and he did make it count. The right-hander reached 52 not out at stumps playing 98 balls. He also played some crisp drives to get seven fours to his name.
England bowlers were not too disciplined but the surface had enough assistance to spring up surprise unplayable balls. Jadeja and Sudharsan both got out to jaffas from Josh Tongue. However, Nair held his fort and played with patience. He punished bad balls but never let his concentration break.
He would like to make it big on the second day and ensure that when India select the squad for the next Test series, he will not be overlooked.
Earlier, India lost Rahul and Jaiswal in the first session. In the only notable play of the second session, Gill ran for a non-existent single and got run out as after that the session was washed out. Sudharsan and Jadeja fell to Tongue beauties while Jurel was caught in slips. At stumps, Nair was in the company of the centurion of the last match Washington Sundar who batting on 19 as India reached 204/6.
India Vs England, 5th Test - Playing XIs
India (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel(w), Washington Sundar, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj
England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope(c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Smith(w), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jamie Overton, Josh Tongue
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