Nair joins elite duo with rare triple ton

Indian Test rookie Karun Nair has joined West Indies legend Sir Garfield Sobers and former Australia captain Bob Simpson in turning his maiden Test century into a triple hundred as the runs continued to flow in the fifth Test against England.

Scorecard: India v England, fifth Test

Nair, playing in just his third Test, started day four of the match in Chennai unbeaten on 71 and quickly brought up three figures for the first time as the hosts moved closer to England's first innings of 477.

The right-hander brought up his century from 185 balls and continued the carnage on a flat batting surface, taking just 121 balls to move to a double century.

And after India's total ballooned beyond the 750 mark, Nair became just the third man in history to convert his maiden Test ton into a triple century, reaching the milestone off just 381 balls having moved from 200 to 300 in just 75 deliveries. He brought up the milestone with his 32nd boundary to finish unbeaten on 303.

India declared their total on 7-759 when Nair brought up his triple hundred, India's highest ever Test score and the seventh highest of all time, and also the highest ever conceded by England.

Sobers' score of 365 not out against Pakistan in 1958, then a world record, was his maiden Test hundred, while Simpson's 311 against England in 1964 was also his first Test ton.

Nair is the second man this year to post a score of 300 or more after Pakistan's Azhar Ali notched 302 not out against the West Indies in October, and just the second Indian to post a Test 300 after Virender Sehwag, who did it twice (in 2004 against Pakistan and in 2008 against South Africa).

It was only Nair's third Test innings having managed scores of just 4 and 13 earlier in the series.

The double century comes a day after teammate Lokesh Rahul missed 200 by a single run after getting out to Adil Rashid on 199 in the final moments of the third day's play.

Nair's knock is the second 200+ score of the series after skipper Virat Kohli hit a majestic 235 - his third double ton of the year - in the fourth Test in Mumbai.

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