I’m not the right person to ask, says Nair on India selection

NAGPUR: Vidarbha batting mainstay Karun Nair on Saturday put the ball in the selectors’ court regarding a strong case for his India call-up after his ninth century of the season, saying “I’m not the right person to ask” the question.

Nair struck an unbeaten 132 against Kerala to help Vidarbha extend its overall lead to 286 runs in the Ranji Trophy final, his fourth century in the red-ball competition which took his tally to 860 runs at 57.33.

Nair, one of the only two Indians in history to have scored triple hundreds in Test cricket, was also in red-hot form in the 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy wherein he struck 779 runs in only nine matches with five centuries and one fifty at a mind-boggling average of 389.50.

“I’m not the right person to ask. I cannot comment on that. I have to just say that I have to keep performing in every game that I get and if it happens, it happens. I have to do my job to the best,” Nair told the reporters at the VCA Stadium after the close of play on Day Four.

Nair signalled ‘nine’ with his hands to the dressing room on Saturday after completing his ninth ton but maintained that it wasn’t a message to anyone else but to the members of the Vidarbha support staff.

“I’d been speaking about it before this match that I’ve got eight (centuries), if I score another one, I’ll show nine,” said Nair, who has played six Tests and two ODIs for India.

“I was just speaking to some of our sidearm throwers, Yash Thorat, who always helps us with batting and everything. We were speaking and I said to him that if I do score a hundred, I’ll show him the nine, so it was discussed.”

When pressed if the signal was only meant for the Vidarbha support staff, Nair quipped, “You can take it however you want.”

Nair said Vidarbha will look to bat as long as possible with the Ranji Trophy final heading towards a draw which would give his side a third title win in its history, having taken a 37-run lead on Day Three.