Fair Play First! Karun Nair Says No to Unfair Run During The Oval Test

India batter Karun Nair finally lived up to the expectations with the bat in the fifth game of the ongoing five-match Test series against the England. The match between the two teams is taking place at The Kia Oval in London. Nair, who was dropped from the playing XI for the fourth test for his poor outings with the bat, returned to the side in the final match of the series.

With the pressure of not scoring runs piling up on him, he delivered and helped his team put crucial runs on the board in the first innings. Karun Nair walked out to bat when India was left reeling at 83/3 in the tough batting conditions. However, he soaked in all the pressure and held the one end up, scoring runs in all corners of the park.

Karun Nair Sportsman Spirit Moment at The Oval

While his batting was one for everyone to praise, Karun Nair also stole the limelight with his heartwarming gesture on the first day of the match. In the last session, Chris Woakes chased down a ball towards long-off to a sublime drive from Nair. However, the England quick got injured badly and couldn't get up on time.

No other fielder was close to him and Nair could've attempted the fourth run when Chris Woakes got injured in an attempt to stop the boundary. However, he showed the greatest sportsmanship and denied taking the fourth run. Karun Nair Sportsman Spirit moment went viral on the internet, with many lauding the Indian batter for his gestures. The veteran won many hearts with his sporting gesture during a tense game at the Oval.

Karun Nair's Career-defining Knock

Karun Nair played a brilliant innings with the bat in the first innings of the ongoing Test against England. The right-hander went on to slam a magnificent half-century under pressure, which was his first in the longest format of the game for India. Coming into the game, his place was under the scanner.

Arguably, this could've been his last opportunity had he failed to perform. However, he thrived under pressure and delivered when it mattered the most for the team. But, after scoring a fifty, he failed to convert that into a ton as he got out in the first session of day two. The batter was back in the hut after playing an innings of 57 runs off 109 balls. His innings was laced with eight boundaries.

Thanks to his effort with the bat, India posted a total of 224 runs on the board, which at one moment seemed difficult. Apart from Karun, Sai Sudharsan (38) and Washington Sundar (26) played decent hands. For England, Gus Atkinson took a five-wicket haul. In response, England came out all guns blazing with openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley adding 92 runs for the opening partnership in just 77 balls. Duckett, who is currently one of the best openers in the world going around, got out for 43 runs. But Crawley went on to hit a brilliant fifty, ending with an innings of 64 runs.

Karun Nair's Performance in This Series

Coming to Nair, he has slammed 188 runs in seven innings in the series so far. The right-hander is one of the best batters in India at the moment. He returned to the team for the first time after 2017 following his record-breaking domestic season. However, he failed to score big in the ongoing series. Karun Nair Oval performance in the second innings will be key under the helpful bowling conditions.

In the ongoing game, he batted at five and was included in the team after Rishabh Pant was ruled out of the last game to strengthen the team's batting lineup. Notably, he batted at six in the first game at Headingley in Leeds and then was given the No. 3 spot in the next two games. However, he failed to score a fifty and faced a lot of criticism as well.