The fourth day of the Chennai Test match between India and England will be marked as a special day in the history of Indian cricket. It was a day on which several new highs were set. Karun Nair – playing only his third Test match – became the second Indian batsman to score a triple century in Test cricket.
Karun’s knock, together with contributions from Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja on the day, helped post India’s highest total in Test cricket. India’s total of 759-7 also became the highest total posted in Test matches against England. Put the Indian team’s accomplishment in context of history – England have been playing Test cricket since 1877 and have played 982 Test matches.
What Karun Nair accomplished on Monday is special, considering he was playing only his third Test match for India. After having been dismissed for 4 and 13 in his previous two Test matches, there must have been pressure on the youngster to perform and hold his place in the team. He did that in style, by not only scoring his first Test hundred, but also converting his maiden century into a big triple century – a feat accomplished by only two players previously.
Karun, all of 25 years and 13 days old, is among the youngest to score a triple century. In the 139-year history of Test cricket, there have been only five players younger than Karun Nair to score a triple century.
However, scoring triple centuries is not new to Karun. He had done the same on the big stage – in the Ranji Trophy 2014/15 Final – when he scored a championship winning 328 for Karnataka against Tamil Nadu.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)