India’s latest triple centurion Karun Nair said the pressure he faced while reaching the milestone paled in comparison to surviving a brush with death earlier this year, PTI reported.
Nair on Monday became only the second Indian batsman to score a triple hundred in Test cricket. His unbeaten 303 against England in the ongoing fifth and final Test made him only the third batsman after Garry Sobers and Bob Simpson to convert a debut century into a triple ton.
Reflecting on the innings Nair recalled the tension he faced while being in a boat accident in Kerala, which he survived earlier this year despite not knowing how to swim.
“I didn’t know how to swim. People there rescued me and I was lucky to live again,” Karun was reported to have told the official broadcasters after his knock on Monday.
The incident occurred in July when Karun took part in a temple festival in Kerala. The boat in which he was seated during the ceremony had capsised in river Pampa.
Reflecting on the knock that helped India amass a record 759/7, Nair said, “This is the best knock I’ve played in my life. There were many situations in the middle when I had to play differently, with [KL] Rahul, [Ravichandran] Ashwin and [Ravindra Jadeja] Jaddu. I have to thank them for supporting me, egging me on.”
“The first hundred is always important and I think when I got the first hundred, I didn’t feel any pressure. I was just playing my shots after that,” he added.
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