The double century looked like a launchpad since Nair stroked his way to score the next 100 runs in just 75 balls. Nair’s mammoth effort took 381 balls, with 32 boundaries and four sixes.
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Karun Nair made an epic unbeaten triple century to power India to their highest ever innings total against a demoralised England.
England would break through when Dawson collected his first wicket in Test cricket, Murali Vijay missing one that went on with the arm and trapped him in front. He is one player who is like a juggernaut when on song and it felt he was finding the gaps at will as the England bowlers toiled had without any success. Both batsmen looked at ease, scoring just under four per over.
But Nair, who had been dropped on 34 not out earlier, was again dropped on 217 not out by Joe Root at slip off Jake Ball (0-93) in the 172nd over.
The Indian fans had to wait for a while before they witnessed Karun scripting history because when the Karnataka batsman was five runs away from the 200-mark, the umpires called for tea.
Rahul, meanwhile, went past his previous best of 158 against West Indies in Jamaica in August this year.
The right-hander remained undefeated at 303 at stumps, reaching the landmark in the 191st over of India’s first innings at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here.
Nair is only the second Indian to reach the milestone, after Virender Sehwag.
On Ajinkya Rahane coming back, Gavaskar said, “For a selector it is always good to have a problem of plenty”. “After I crossed 250, the team management had certain plans of going after the bowling and declaring”. I think the last couple of days have been fantastic, first this Saturday Vijender wins in great style, and yesterday our juniors won the hockey World Cup.
The plan for the final session will be to complete the double hundred and then up the ante, before probably giving England about 10-15 overs to bat. After a customary wave to the audience and a kiss to the Indian crest on his helmet, Karun buckled down for the long haul while England drew relief in seeing Vijay’s exit – lbw to Dawson. Nair had the butter-fingered English fielders to thank too. Ashwin survived but was eventually dismissed by Stuart Broad for 67 as Buttler took a brilliant catch in the gully.
Also remember the big scores generally belong to batsmen in the top four.
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It was the highest first-wicket stand for India at home against England.
