MUMBAI: Batsman Karun Nair, who once slammed a triple hundred (303 not out against England at Chennai in December 2016) in Test cricket, will turn out for Northamptonshire for the remainder of the English County season, TOI has learnt.
"Karun is replacing Australia's Sam Whiteman in the Northamptonshire team. He will leave for the UK tomorrow. The Northants will make a formal announcement in this regard on Friday," a reliable source told TOI on Thursday.
Nair will be the second Indian after Prithvi Shaw, who had smashed blazing knocks of 244 & 125 in his maiden county season before a serious knee injury ruled him out last month, to play for Northamptonshire this season.
“It feels great to know that my recent performances are being recognised. I have always believed I have the capability of performing at the highest level, so I hope my performances will eventually push for a place in the Indian team. I hope I can score runs and get three wins for the county. Anything beyond that is not in my control. I am looking forward to the opportunity,” Nair told this paper.
Nair recently shifted to Vidarbha after playing for Karnataka for many years. This will be his maiden stint in County cricket. “Moving my state team allows me to have a fresh new environment. I just feel good about myself and Vidarbha. I hope I can contribute towards a winning side,” he said.
Nair played six Tests, in which he scored 374 runs@62.33, and two ODIs (46 runs) for India, before he was sidelined for good. In a prolific 85-match first-class career, the 31-year-old has scored 2,989 runs @48.94, with 15 hundreds and 27 fifties under his belt. He has also scored 2119 runs in 90 List A games@30.71, and 2989 runs in 150 T20 matches@25.11.
