“Nothing short of extraordinary” - Indian batting legend lauds Karun Nair for Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 heroics

Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar has reserved high praise for Karun Nair, who has been in imperious form in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25. The Vidarbha captain has been dismissed just once in seven innings and has scored 752 runs.

Tendulkar hailed Nair's consistent performances in the domestic 50-over competition as 'extraordinary'. The former cricketer hoped that the right-handed batter would continue making the most of every opportunity.

Taking to the microblogging platform X, the 'Master Blaster' wrote on Friday, January 17:

"Scoring 752 runs in 7 innings with 5 centuries is nothing short of extraordinary, @karun126. Performances like these don’t just happen, they come from immense focus and hard work. Keep going strong and make every opportunity count!"

It is worth mentioning that Karun Nair is just 79 runs away from breaking Narayan Jagadeesan's record for scoring the most runs in a single Vijay Hazare Trophy season. He scored an unbeaten 88 in Vidarbha's 69-run win over Maharashtra in the semifinal. During the knock, he broke Ruturaj Gaikwad's record of the most runs scored by a captain in a single edition of the tournament.

---

"I don’t think he’ll make it to the Champions Trophy squad" - Dinesh Karthik on Karun Nair

Karun Nair has been knocking on the selectors' door with his brilliant batting exploits in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25. While many fans want the batter to be rewarded for his performances with a spot in India's ODI team, former cricketer Dinesh Karthik believes that a Team India comeback may still not be around the corner.

He pointed out that India have a balanced ODI team and there wasn't any room for big changes. Karthik suggested that while Nair might not be picked for the 2025 Champions Trophy, he could make it to the national team if his dream run continues.

Speaking to Cricbuzz, Karthik said (via Indian Express):

"Karun Nair, it’s been unreal to see the form that you’ve been in. Even Mayank Agarwal has been in some really good form. But the beauty is, it’s coming at a stage when the Indian ODI setup is almost ready to go. There can’t be too many changes.

"Yes, it’s very tempting to bring a Karun Nair into the setup, and I think he has earned the right to be part of the talks. But I don’t think he’ll make it to the Champions Trophy squad. But if he keeps going like this, why not? A form batter like that who plays fast and spin well, he’s a gun player, and I’m very happy for him."

The Karun Nair-led Vidarbha will take on Karnataka in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25 final. The match will be played in Baroda on Saturday, December 18.