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The best foreign acquisitions are those who have a
point to make. Consider yourself lucky if one of those happens to be the second
Indian batsman to ever score a triple hundred in a Test.
Karun Nair, who thrashed England for an unbeaten 303
at Chennai at the tail end of 2016, is now only 31 years old. The batter,
though, still possesses some of that early, precocious flair, as evidenced by
the unbeaten 144 that puts Northamptonshire on a solid 351 for 9 heading into
Thursday.
For the first time this year, Surrey is looking over
their shoulder as Essex, which is 18 points behind them, seized a commanding
position against Hampshire at home.
Nair’s last three-figure score, 175 for Karnataka
against Jammu & Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy, wasn’t until February 2022.
Since then, he has joined Vidarbha and communicated a wish to bring some form
back with him. After scoring 78 against Warwickshire in the first of his three
games with Northants, this knock against the top bowling unit in the division
was a calm way to regain one’s momentum.
Nair’s availability for the match was primarily made
possible by an active UK visa she had obtained earlier this summer after
playing for Burbage & ER Cricket Club. A week after being contacted by a
former manager regarding replacing Sam Whiteman, who was leaving for Australia,
he was boarding a plane. It is encouraging that he has continued where the
team’s top scorer left off, even though this level of improvement may not have
been necessary.
All of this may become irrelevant due to the weather.
However, for the time being at least, Northants’ effort and Surrey’s
wastefulness make both parties wonder if the 2023 Division One season has one
more surprise in store for the top and bottom of the standings.