The celebrations were quite spontaneous.
And coming as it is after a day when almost every sporting fan in Kerala was let down by the cruel penalty-kick defeat of Kerala Blasters on Sunday in the ISL final, this – the triple century by an Indian in Test cricket – was indeed a shot in the arm.
Karun Nair, for sure, was suddenly a hero and his magical feat in Chennai was reason for every Keralite to celebrate.
There was joy in the faces of people across the State and as the media kept giving live updates of his progress from the overnight score of 71 to his first century, his second and the triple before the Indian declaration towards the fag end of the third day’s play against England, there was nothing which could stop them from back-slapping and going hoarse on how the 25-year-old knocked off each of 303 runs in style.
Born in Jodhpur to parents Kaladharan Nair and Prema Nair – hailing from Chengannur in Alappuzha district, Karun had taken to the game playing initially in the streets of Bengalauru before soldiering on his way to the Karnataka under-15 and under-19 teams, the Indian Premier League, the senior team of his adopted State, the India A and one-day sides before receiving his call to the Indian Test team last month.
Karun, though not made in the flamboyant mould of Virendra Shewag, the only Indian to have taken licence in the triple-century club, still made a lasting impression on Monday as he ensured his team to its best-ever total before he got to his splendid individual achievement in only his third Test match.
Suddenly, there was a sparkle in his eyes, which also was proof that he had finally overcome the tragedy of losing his relatives in a snakeboat capsize during his last visit to his home town from which he had emerged the sole survivor. The accident had led to poor scores in the series against Zimbabwe and a deep impact on the young cricketer.
But now, it does seem a long way back and as his parents gushed in excitement on the feat of their son outside the M. A. Chidambaram stadium in Chennai, there was nothing to stop Keralites to root for their new-found hero.
Governor P. Sathasivam and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan congratulated Karun for scoring the triple century.
