Karun Nair scores second Ranji Trophy final century against Kerala in career-best season
Nagpur: Vidarbha batsman Karun Nair continued his impressive form in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 final, scoring his second century in a Ranji Trophy final against Kerala at the VCA Stadium in Jamtha, Nagpur, on Saturday.
Batting in the second innings on day four, Nair came in at number four after Kerala dismissed Vidarbha’s openers in the first 14 deliveries. Vidarbha had taken a 37-run lead in the first innings the previous night. Nair built a strong partnership with Danish Malewar, with whom he had shared a crucial 215-run stand in the first innings. His century, scored off 184 balls, prevented Kerala from staging a comeback.
This was Nair’s second century in a Ranji Trophy final, having previously achieved the feat in the 2014-15 season. He also surpassed 8,000 First-Class runs in this match.
For the first time in his Ranji Trophy career, the right-handed batter has scored over 800 runs in a single season. Nair made a strong comeback following a busy Vijay Hazare Trophy campaign last month, where he scored 752 runs, including five centuries in seven innings.
In Vidarbha’s last league match against Hyderabad, Nair hit a century and followed it up with another in the quarterfinal win over Tamil Nadu.
Nair first played a Ranji Trophy final in 2013-14 when Karnataka defeated Maharashtra. The following season, he was named Player of the Match in the final after scoring a record-breaking 328 against Tamil Nadu, the highest individual score in a Ranji Trophy final.
While Nair has scored over 3,700 runs for Karnataka, he also had a brief Test career for India in 2016-17, during which he became the country’s second Test triple-centurion after Virender Sehwag, scoring an unbeaten 303 against England in Chennai.
Karun Nair’s Ranji Trophy final scores:
2013-14: 44, 20*
2014-15: 328 (highest individual score in a final)
2023-24: 0, 74
2024-25: 86, 100* (batting)
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Ikkis box office Day 1: Agastya Nanda’s war drama earns ₹7 crore, beats trade projections
Mumbai: Ikkis, the latest war drama directed by Sriram Raghavan, has delivered a stronger-than-expected opening at the box office, earning an estimated ₹7 crore net in India on its first day, Hindustan Times reported on Friday.
The film, starring Agastya Nanda, opened in theatres on January 1 across nearly 4,000 screens nationwide. Trade analysts had earlier projected a modest opening of ₹2–2.5 crore, especially given stiff competition from Dhurandhar, which continues to perform strongly at the box office.
Despite these expectations, Ikkis exceeded projections by nearly three times, helped largely by positive word of mouth. As per the report, the film had around 12% occupancy in the morning shows across the country, which jumped to 35% by afternoon, and 47% in the evening, indicating growing audience interest as the day progressed.
While Dhurandhar dominated the day with a reported ₹15 crore collection, trade observers note that Ikkis holding its ground amid such competition is a promising sign, particularly for its performance over the extended opening weekend.
Ikkis is based on the life of Arun Khetarpal, the youngest recipient of India’s highest gallantry award, the Param Vir Chakra. The film chronicles Khetarpal’s exploits and bravery during the 1971 India-Pakistan War. Agastya plays Khetarpal in the film.
While screen legend Dharmendra appears as his father in his final performance, Dharmendra died a little over a month before the film’s release. Ikkis is also among the final films of the late Asrani, who also died late last year. The film also stars Jaideep Ahlawat and Deepak Dobriyal.
