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.

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.

Former Saurashtra batter Sitanshu Kotak has been appointed as India’s batting coach ahead of the upcoming limited-overs series against England and the Champions Trophy next month. This decision comes after the performance of assistant coach Abhishek Nayar faced scrutiny during a recent tour of Australia. India is set to host England for five T20Is and three ODIs, marking their first bilateral series following the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The Indian team is currently under the leadership of head coach Gautam Gambhir, with Abhishek Nayar and Ryan Ten Doeschate serving as assistant coaches, Morne Morkel as the bowling coach, and T Dilip as the fielding coach.

Kotak’s appointment comes as the BCCI prepares to evaluate Gautam Gambhir’s role as head coach, particularly following India’s performance in the forthcoming Champions Trophy. This assessment is driven by concerns of unrest within the team, reportedly due to Gambhir’s attempts to alter the long-standing “superstar culture.”

Since taking over in July last year, Gambhir has faced a challenging tenure, with the Indian team experiencing six losses in ten Tests and suffering a bilateral ODI series defeat in Sri Lanka. These results have raised questions about the future of players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, who are both struggling with their form. Additionally, Gambhir’s position has been called into question amid rumours of discord with key players during the Border-Gavaskar Test series in Australia, which India lost 1-3.

A former left-handed batter who captained Saurashtra, Kotak previously held the role of head coach for India A during the tour of Australia in November last year and was also involved with the Jasprit Bumrah-led T20I team during its tour of Ireland in August 2023.

Kotak boasts an impressive first-class career, accumulating 8,061 runs in 130 matches at an average of 41.76, including 15 centuries and 55 half-centuries, spanning from the 1992-93 season to 2013.

After retiring from domestic cricket in 2013, he transitioned into coaching, starting with Saurashtra before taking on a role at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru as a batting coach. Over the past four years, he has served as the head coach for India A, overseeing tours in Bangladesh, South Africa, and Australia. He was also an assistant coach for the now-defunct Gujarat Lions during the 2017 IPL season.