Ranji Trophy 2024-25 final: Karun Nair dazzles with brilliant ton against Kerala

Karun Nair's impressive form in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy continued as he hit a brilliant century in the final against Kerala at the VCA Stadium in Nagpur. With this ton, Nair guided Vidarbha into a strong position as they are on the hunt for their third Ranji Trophy title.

Coming into the fourth day of the Ranji Trophy final, Vidarbha held a slim 37-run first-innings lead after Kerala’s batting effort, thanks to Sachin Baby’s 98. Vidarbha, however, found themselves in early trouble at 7/2 in their second innings, with openers Parth Rekhade and Dhruv Shorey dismissed within the first 14 deliveries. That is when Nair and Danish Malewar, just as they did in the first innings, came together to steady the ship.

Having missed out on a century in the first innings after to an unfortunate run-out at 86, Nair made up for it in the second innings. He cautiously played through Kerala’s bowling attack, which included the likes of Jalaj Saxena and MD Nidheesh. 

Nair reached his century off 184 balls, bringing up his 23rd first-class century with a push towards mid-wicket off Saxena's bowling. His innings helped Vidarbha’s lead get past the 200-run mark. The 33-year-old batter has been in sublime touch throughout the domestic season, surpassing 8000 first-class runs and notching up over 800 runs in this Ranji Trophy campaign.

Also Read: Karun Nair's big decision: Why did he choose Vidarbha over Kerala?

His remarkable run began with a century in Vidarbha’s final league game against Hyderabad and continued into the knockout stages, where he played an important role in victory over Tamil Nadu. At the other end, Malewar contributed 73 of 162 before falling to Akshay Chandran, but by then, the damage had been done.