Karun Nair has maintained his extraordinary form, a fact he himself has expressed surprise at, by scoring an unbeaten 88 runs off 44 deliveries. Although he fell short of setting a world record for the most consecutive centuries in 50-over cricket, Nair's performance has elevated his average in this year's Vijay Hazare Trophy to an impressive 752.

This remarkably high average is primarily attributed to his being not out in six of the seven innings he has participated in during the tournament. Notably, this marks his first half-century of the competition and only the second instance this year in which he has not achieved a century. Nair's recent scores in the tournament include 112*, 44*, 163*, 111*, 112, 122*, and 88*. The 112 runs he scored on January 3 for Vidarbha against Uttar Pradesh brought his total to 542 runs without being dismissed, setting a world record in 50-over cricket.

Karun Nair's carnage against Maharashtra

Nair exhibited a notably aggressive demeanour on Thursday as Vidarbha amassed an impressive total of 380 runs for the loss of three wickets against Maharashtra. Dhruv Shorey and Yash Rathod both achieved centuries, contributing to a remarkable opening partnership of 224 runs in just 34.4 overs. Rathod was dismissed for 116 runs off 101 balls, which paved the way for Nair to enter the fray.

Nair proceeded to deliver a powerful performance, hitting nine fours and five sixes, concluding his innings with a strike rate of precisely 200. He formed a partnership of 93 runs with Jitesh Sharma, who scored 51 runs off 33 balls, with their collaboration taking place in a mere 59 balls after Shorey was dismissed for 114 runs off 120 deliveries.

The recent surge of centuries has positioned Karun as an unexpected contender for inclusion in the Indian squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy. Since joining Vidarbha in 2023, Nair has experienced a significant decline from being India's second triple centurion in Tests in 2016 to not being considered for selection by his home state, Karnataka. However, a conversation with former Indian cricketer Abey Kuruvilla during the DY Patil tournament in early 2023 facilitated his transition to Vidarbha for the 2023-24 season. Since that time, he has consistently accumulated runs across all formats.

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