Vidarbha's Karun Nair yet again turned run-machine and ran riot with the bat in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-2025. After cracking four back-to-back centuries, Karun Nair continued his onslaught in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-2025's semi-final against Maharashtra on Thursday, January 16. Nair tonked a lightning 88 runs at blistering strike rate of 200 in the crucial encounter where both the teams are vying for the coveted final spot.
Karun Nair's onslaught in Vijay Hazare Trophy continues
Nair joined the crease at number three in the 25th over, following a strong opening partnership of 224 runs between Dhruv Shorey and Yash Rathod. The Vidarbha captain maintained his consistent performance, notching his sixth 50-plus score in seven innings. He belted an unbeaten 88 runs off 44 balls, propelling his team to a formidable total of 380.
Nair has surpassed Gaikwad's record for the most runs scored by a captain in a single season of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. The 33-year-old has amassed an incredible 752 runs in the tournament, with an staggering average of 752 as he as been dismissed just once so far.
With this Nair has bagged a mighty milestone as he has become the first captain to surpass the 700-run mark to break the all-time record while leading a team in this prestigious List A competition. Notably, the previous record was held by Ruturaj Gaikwad, who scored 660 runs in five innings during the 2022-23 season, averaging 220 with four centuries to his credit.
Captains with most runs in a single edition of Vijay Hazare Trophy:
| Player | Team | Runs | Innings | Average | Season |
| Karun Nair | Vidarbha | 752 | 7 | 752 | 2024/25 |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | Maharashtra | 660 | 5 | 220 | 2022-23 |
| Prithvi Shaw | Mumbai | 650 | 4 | 325 | 2020-21 |
| Mayank Agarwal | Karnataka | 619 | 9 | 103.16 | 2024/25 |
Nair has been unstoppable this season, smashing five centuries, equaling the record set by Tamil Nadu's N Jagadeesan in the 2022-23 season. With the possibility of Vidarbha reaching the final, Nair has a chance to surpass Jagadeesan's all-time record of 83 runs in a single season. If Vidarbha qualifies for the final, a score of 79 or more will propel him to the top of this prestigious list.
Prithvi Shaw is the only other batter to have scored more than 800 runs in a single season, achieving this feat during the 2020-21 season. He amassed an impressive 827 runs in eight innings, with an exceptional average of 165.40 with four centuries to his name. Notably, Shaw captained Mumbai in the latter stages of the tournament, including the semi-final and final, after Shreyas Iyer joined the Indian team for the home series against England. During his captaincy, Shaw delivered three centuries and a half-century, guiding Mumbai to their second Vijay Hazare Trophy title.
Nair didn't stop their as he clocked another big milestone during the tournament, breaking the world record for the most runs scored without being dismissed in List A cricket history. He amassed an incredible 542 runs before finally being dismissed. Between 2016 and 2017, Nair represented India in seven Test matches and two One Day Internationals. He holds the distinction of being only the second Indian cricketer, after Virender Sehwag, to score a triple century in Test cricket. This remarkable feat occurred in 2016 during the Chennai Test against England.