Karun Nair made headlines by scoring a triple-century against England but was dropped from the Indian squad after struggling in his next four innings. After just six Test appearances, he never received another opportunity to return. Nair has now surpassed Gaikwad’s record for the most runs by a captain in a single season of the tournament’s history. The 33-year-old has accumulated 752 runs, with only one dismissal to his name, achieving an astonishing average of 752.

Since his exclusion from the Indian team, Nair’s performance has dwindled significantly, to the point where he wasn’t securing a spot in the Karnataka state team either. Frustrated with his situation, he took to social media to express his longing for another chance, saying, “Dear cricket, give me one more chance.”

Recently, Karun Nair has demonstrated his skill once again, particularly in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he stood out in the semi-final match by scoring an explosive 88 runs off just 44 balls. Although he was on fire with centuries in his previous four innings, he was unable to achieve a fifth due to receiving limited deliveries in this match.

In fact, Vidarbha’s opening batsmen, Yash Rathod and Dhruv Shori, both batted until the 34.4-over mark and scored centuries, which restricted Nair’s opportunities. Nevertheless, he managed to score a powerful half-century, helping his team reach an impressive total of 380 runs.

Currently, Karun Nair is leading the charts in the Vijay Hazare Trophy as the highest run-scorer, amassing 752 runs at an average of 752. Remarkably, he has recorded five centuries in this tournament and scored fifty or more in seven of his last eight innings, having been dismissed only once during this stretch.

Nair faced a tough phase in 2022 when he was released from the Karnataka team, but with support from Vidarbha, he made a remarkable comeback, achieving five centuries in just six matches in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He now holds the record for the most runs scored without being dismissed in the tournament’s history.

Vidarbha openers Yash Rathod and Dhruv Shorey put on a stellar performance against Maharashtra in the semi-final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy at Kotambi Stadium, Vadodara. Both batsmen rose to the occasion, scoring impressive centuries that set Vidarbha on track for a formidable total.

Rathod and Shorey formed a formidable partnership, adding 224 runs for the first wicket in just 34.4 overs, with Rathod scoring 116 and Shorey currently on an unbeaten 106 at the time of this report.

This 224-run opening stand is the third-highest in a knockout match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The record for the highest opening partnership belongs to Ravi Kumar and Devdutt Paddikal, who made 249 runs against Kerala in 2021. Prithvi Shaw and Yashasvi Jaiswal hold the second spot with their 238-run partnership against Saurashtra in the same year.

Maharashtra skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s decision to bowl first backfired as he watched in frustration as Vidarbha’s openers dominated the innings. Rathod reached his second century of the season off just 90 balls and also contributed significantly to his team’s total, bringing up their 200 runs.

Shorey also notched his second consecutive century in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. After Satyajeet Bachhav finally broke the partnership for Maharashtra, Shorey was joined by Karun Nair, who has already scored five centuries in seven innings in India’s top 50-over tournament.

The winner of this match will face Karnataka in the final on Saturday. Karnataka triumphed over Haryana by five wickets in the first semi-final in Vadodara on Wednesday to secure their spot. Devdutt Padikkal was the star of the match, scoring a solid 86 runs off 113 balls, while Abhilash Shetty took four wickets, helping Karnataka limit Haryana to 237 runs in their 50 overs. Karnataka successfully chased down the target in 48.2 overs, marking their fifth appearance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy final.

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner secured his place in the third round of the men’s singles at the Australian Open 2025 with a straight-sets victory over Tristan Schoolkate at Rod Laver Arena. The match lasted two hours and 46 minutes, ending with Sinner winning 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, 6-3. After dropping the first set, Sinner staged an impressive comeback to dominate the match.

Schoolkate was impressive in the opening set, successfully converting the only break point opportunity he had and not allowing Sinner any chances to break his serve. Sinner appeared cautious with his second serves, winning just 36% of the points on them and registering three double faults.

However, from the second set onward, Sinner found his rhythm, breaking Schoolkate five times while his opponent did not receive any breakpoints. With aggressive play, the World No. 1 consistently pressured Schoolkate, eventually securing the win.

Sinner has now won nine consecutive matches at the Australian Open and has claimed 32 of his last 33 sets. Following his second-round triumph, he acknowledged that there is still room for improvement while expressing the pressure of defending his title at Melbourne Park.

“It’s definitely a different feeling. So many beautiful moments on and off the court have happened for me here in this wonderful place. I see it as an opportunity to hopefully do it again, but there’s still a long way to go. We take it day by day. Given my level today, I know I can improve. Hopefully, I can demonstrate that in the next round, and it will be another great tournament for me,” Sinner said in his on-court interview.

Next, Sinner will face USA’s Marcus Giron, who triumphed over Tomas Martín Etcheverry with a score of 7-5, 3-6, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4.