WATCH: Karun Nair ends prolific domestic season on a high with century in Ranji Trophy finals vs Kerala

Veteran India batter Karun Nair yet again served notice to the selectors with a classy ton in Ranji Trophy finals. The 33-year-old got to his second ever Ranji Trophy finals in the match against Kerala on Saturday. At tea on day four, hosts Vidarbha were 189/3 from 61 overs with an overall lead of 226 runs. 

Nair reached his century in the first ball of the 59th over which was bowled by Jalaj Saxena. The 33-year-old pushed the ball for a single through the mid-wicket region and got to his milestone. Danish Malewar who had scored a century in the first innings quick to reach his veteran partner and give him a huge hug.

Watch the video here - 

💯 for Karun Nair 👏

A splendid knock on the big stage under pressure 💪

It's his 9⃣th 1⃣0⃣0⃣ in all formats combined this season, and the celebration says it all👌🙌#RanjiTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank | #Final

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/up5GVaflpppic.twitter.com/9MvZSHKKMY

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) March 1, 2025

The 33-year-old removed his helmet and the entire Vidarbha dugout stood up and applauded the effort. Fans had come in huge numbers to watch the game and each and every member in the crowd stood up and applauded the effort. Nair had scored 328 in the 2014 Ranji Finals against Tamil Nadu to put his name in the spotlight. 

Vidarbha on the cusp of winning Ranji Trophy title 

Day three ended with Kerala getting bowled out for 342 and missing out on the first innings lead by 37 runs. Darshan Nalkande, Harsh Dubey, and Parth Rekhade were the best bowler with three wickets each while Yash Thakur got one wicket. Vidarbha came out to bat and lost two early wickets in the day. 

Jalaj Saxena struck the first blow when he castled Rekhade for one run in the first ball of the second over. Seven balls later opener Dhruv Shorey was out for five runs when he was caught by Mohammad Azharuddeen off Nideesh. Kerala were back in the game with the hosts effectively 44/2 at that stage. Kerala could have had a third wicket much earlier if they hadn't dropped Karun Nair when he was batting on 31. 

This is when Malewar and Nair joined forces for the second time in the game. The pair had added 215 runs for the fourth wicket in the first innings. In the second essay the Malewar- Nair pair added 182 runs after batting for 232 balls. Malewar was out for 73 just few overs before tea when he was caught by Sachin Baby off Akshay Chandran.