Day four in Chennai was an exhaustive one. Not because the sun was beating down relentlessly on a working Monday, exactly a week after the city had been hit by a cyclone. Or, the fact that even after four gruelling days of cricket, the pitch was not showing any signs of life.
It was so because England, who have been beaten soundly in this series, were driven to desperation. It was so because desperation soon turned into misery, and then hopelessness. It was so because towards the end of day’s play, it seemed that the English players would be anywhere else but here at Chepauk. This day bordered on near harassment of their bowling attack, and then left them anxious about a final three sessions of this long Test series.
And the reason for all of this was just one name – Karun Nair.
When play began in the morning, India were still trailing by 94 runs. For Nair, and his partner Murali Vijay, it was a matter of playing for time, and securing their stay at the crease. It is not to say that India were ever in a position to lose this Test. England have bowled on better surfaces than this, and have come up short in this two-month old contest.
No, that eventuality ceased when Lokesh Rahul had helped save the follow-on on day three. From then onwards, it was about pressing for a result that would be in India’s favour – perhaps a win, draw most likely, and there was no third option. For Nair and Vijay, it was about driving the innings forward in a direction that either of the first two outcomes would become an eventuality.
A fantastic knock under pressure
Vijay did not look comfortable during his short stint at the crease. He even got a life when the umpire did not detect an edge, driving Stuart Broad hopping mad, as England did not have any reviews left. But this is not about either of them. Instead, it is about the youngster at the other end, who no one focussed on, and who silently pulled the rug out from under the opposition’s feet.
Nair accumulated runs without any urgency. There were no hints about his impending destination at the end of play, and even this knock did not seem like a never-ending journey. It was similar to his first two knocks in Mohali and Mumbai – run out in the first for 4 and then, the Decision Review System got the better of him, sending him back for 13 runs.
Coming on the back of a huge reputation earned in Karnataka’s Ranji exploits over the last two seasons, Nair was obviously feeling pressure – not for his place in the side, from the team management or the captain or the selectors or even the media for that matter. But, simply put, of not having done enough to justify his selection. It is weird how indirectly effective that reverse mental approach can be in sport.
“There was no extra pressure, but there is always pressure in every game. I got run out in the first game and didn’t get many runs in the second game. So I wouldn’t say that I was feeling any pressure,” he added.
The real effort in Karun’s humongous innings was to make sure that this thinking would not be visible to the opposition. And England bought it, almost as if not paying enough attention to this newcomer who would find yet another way of getting out, just as in his first two Tests. Again, it is not to say they were nonchalant to his presence.
England lacked urgency
Yet, the urgency in attacking batsmen at the other end was lacking when England bowled to Nair. It was the crux of his long stay at the crease. He batted and batted, with Vijay, and then with Ravichandran Ashwin, and thereafter with Ravindra Jadeja. Once Vijay was gone, India were just about close enough to England’s total. Along with Ashwin, he put on 181 runs, replicating a routine affair for the Indian lower-middle order.
With Jadeja then, it was about setting a total that the team management had in mind. “The 300 was never in my head. Once after I crossed 250, the team management had certain plans of going after the bowling and declaring. So I think within the space of five overs I got to 280-285, that’s when I started thinking about it,” Nair said afterwards.
The delay in declaration has given rise to an odd debate – whether Virat Kohli should have declared sooner. It is argued that India could have perhaps bowled for an extra half hour at England, giving themselves a better shot of victory on an unresponsive pitch.
It is a nonsensical argument. Nair’s stroke-play made sure that he sped to 300, with nine fours and three sixes. Not for one moment did he get bogged down, and his partnership with Jadeja came at more than seven per over. It left India in lead by 280-plus, and gave them 95 overs to win the match. If it cannot be done in these many overs, it cannot be done, especially considering how quickly Ashwin and Jadeja get through their spells.
Nair joins an elite group
And thus, safe in this cocoon, Nair batted on. It reflects on the innocuous, and happy, environment in the dressing room where collective success is the main goal. At the same time, individual triumph is not denied either. After all, it is not everyday that a batsman gets close to a triple hundred. There has only ever been one, Virender Sehwag.
Nair thus joins a select group, and all of them have left a definitive mark on cricket history. The youngster has sparked a discussion on possible team selection conundrum for his captain, as and when Rohit Sharma returns from injury. That is a debate for another day.
For now, Nair can revel in history, in a batting display that was not really a make or break knock, but one surely to throw his Test career – and standing in Indian cricket – into high gear. Boy, does he have a story to tell his grandchildren!
