Who is Karun Nair? India batsman scores 303 not-out against England in just his third innings in Test cricket

Nair becomes the man in history to turn his maiden Test century into a triple-hundred

Karun Nair went from 71 to 303 on the fourth day of the fifth Test (Reuters)

Karun Nair became just the third player in Test cricket history to turn his maiden century into a triple hundred, joining esteemed company in West Indies great Sir Garfield Sobers and former Australia captain Bob Simpson in an exclusive club, as India posted their highest ever score in the fifth Test against England.

The 25-year-old, who hails from Jodhpur in the northwest state of Rajasthan, made just his second Test start in the final match of the series, which India had already secured thanks to their three previous victories in the five-Test series.

Nair came into the side for the third Test and failed to make the headlines with the bat, as the all-rounder made scored of four and 13 in his two innings in Mohali and Mumbai – though he has only had to bat once in each Test due to India’s domination.

Nair came into day four on 71 and had his eyes set firmly on registering his maiden test century, which he quickly achieved off 185 balls as India edged towards England’s total of 477.

But the onslaught didn’t stop there. India took the lead as Nair hit the gas, and he brought up his double-hundred off a further 121 runs, much to the delight of his teammates roaring him on in the pavilion.

As India surpassed the 750 mark, Nair struck his final ball to the boundary for four and bring up his triple-century, ending the innings on 303* as India declared for a lead of 282.

Karun Nair celebrates reaching his maiden Test century on day four against England (AP)

His score is the third-highest by an Indian batsman behind Virender Sehwag’s 319 and 309 scored in 2008 and 2004 respectively, and is the 30th time a batsman has surpassed 300 in Test cricket. He becomes the second man this calendar year to pass 300, following Pakistan’s Azhar Ali’s 302 against West Indies in October.