Chennai Test: India 582-5, Nair on verge of double ton

Karun Nair smashed a sensational triple century to leave England on the ropes as India pushed for an unlikely victory in the Chennai Test to achieve only their second-ever 4-0 series victory.

So far, just two Kerala state players – pacers Tinu Yohanan and S. Sreesanth – have played Test cricket for India.

Nair’s patient knock included 11 boundaries besides the six off Dawson.

Nair’s innings surely has been the highlight of the series, while we are on the brink of seeing India clinch the Test series on December 20. The swashbuckling opener surpassed it by amassing 319 against South Africa in Chennai in 2008.

“The 300 was never in my head”.

“It was just unfortunate that the pressure of getting a double hundred got to me”.

The only India batsman to have scored a triple-hundred before Karun Nair was Virender Sehwag. Nair went past Vinod Kambli’s 224 runs against England in Mumbai (1993).

Karun also became the first Malayalee to score a Test century.

“We are 3-0 up, so I think they are already out of the game”.

He added: “It was a good day until I got out”.

“But the one thing, throughout the five Tests here in India and two in Bangladesh, is that I can say the guys haven’t stopped trying”.

Carrying on from his overnight score of 71, the Karnataka cricketer looked assured in the morning session and didn’t put a foot wrong throughout the day.

England took the second new ball in the 85th over and nearly immediately England captain Alastair Cook dropped Nair – on 34 not out – at slip off Jake Ball. He was among the first to welcome Nair to the club.

Asked if days like the fourth at the MA Chidambaram Stadium could help make up Cook’s mind, he said: “Possibly”.

The third new ball worked, as Ashwin was caught at gully by Jos Buttler off Stuart Broad (2-80).

However, the fact that Alastair Cook and Joe Root dropped him at 34 and 217 respectively, both off Jake Ball, aided to England’s misery. It was his fourth test century and would have been his maiden double ton. He was quick to use his feet against England spinners with their premier tweaker Moeen Ali returning dismal figures of 1/190 in 41 overs while Liam Dawson (2/129) and Adil Rashid (1/153) also proved to be expensive. At times we struggled to bowl to the fields the captain had set, and that just makes it very hard. “This gives them a platform to do well at that level and when they enter the national team, they try their very best”.

Bayliss heads home to Australia from India tonight a day before the tour finishes for a check-up on a hernia operation he had in the summer. So they have enough time and wickets to get past England’s first innings total and take first innings lead over England, who didn’t win a single match.