Welcome to the world of the Internet, where tides turn and opinions shift overnight. Indian Test batter Karun Nair became the top-scorer for the visiting squad playing their fifth and final Test at The Oval against England on Thursday. In a rain-affected Day 1, Indian batters found themselves struggling to get going on the green top surface. India lost their 15th toss on the trot and were asked to bat first. Worse, they had to deal with the ball having a mind of its own throughout the day. English bowlers shone in the favourable overcast home conditions as Indian batters failed to stick around on the crease for long. Shubman Gill, the captain who is on a dream run with the bat in his first-ever Test series, returned to the pavilion after a puzzling run-out. When it seemed the day belonged to England, Karun Nair brought up a fighting half-century. Incidentally, this was his second-highest score in a marred nine-year Test career. Career Saving Knock Nair, who was dropped from the fourth Test, played a crucial and unbeaten 52 not out off 98 balls that helped India cross the 200-mark and end the eventful day at 204/6 at stumps. His watchful innings consisted of seven boundaries. This knock, especially after being asked to sit out of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, is now being touted as his career-saving innings. “Karun Nair has literary looked good in all the knocks on this tour, has blunted the new ball well, glad he is playing a knock of substance! Was quite possible the most defining innings of his career!!” user @toecrushrzzz remarked on X. Remarkably, Nair’s best Test score consists of a triple century when he remained unbeaten for 303 in an incredible knock against the same opponents in 2016. He entered the history books and became history swiftly. Also Read: Why Indian Cricket Fans Cannot Stop Talking About Karun Nair One More Chance Nair reaching fifty after an excruciating wait of eight years did not go unnoticed. Mohammad Kaif, former India cricketer, had been vocal about Nair’s exclusion from the previous Test and criticised Shubman Gill for not having taken the “tough decision” to back his teammate. “Today was Shubman Gill’s chance to back karun who was down but deserved one more chance. He should have picked Karun Nair. Chance missed to earn the respect when it comes to making tough decisions as a leader (sic),” Kaif wrote on his X page. Returning to his previous week’s post, Kaif wrote: “Karun deserved one more chance.” Nair’s “Dear cricket, give me one more chance” post on X he made in 2022 has since become synonymous with the batter, however for all the wrong reasons. The now-viral post resurfaces on the social media timelines every time the Jodhpur-born cricketer struggles with the bat. Dear cricket, give me one more chance.🤞? — Karun Nair (@karun126) December 10, 2022 The cricket supporters on Thursday brought back Nair’s post on the timeline yet again, only this time to congratulate the batter for having faith in his abilities and helping India out of a potential batting collapse in the series-deciding Test match. “Another twist in Karun Nair’s tale. When everyone thought his Test career was over, he gets a surprise inclusion in the side and makes it count with a well-earned & crucial fifty,” wrote an X user. “Karun Nair was dropped for no reason soon after scoring a triple-hundred in Test cricket. He kept working hard at the domestic level but nobody noticed. He was ignored for years. But, @GautamGambhir backed his selection and he got picked after 8 long years. Today, he made a fifty and saved the day for India. Maybe, he will score more runs tomorrow, (sic)” remarked @HashTagCricket before calling Nair’s journey a cricketing story for the ages. “Isn’t this a cricketing story for ages? A player who was begging for a second chance got a standing aviation [ovation] from the dressing room after scoring a Test fifty after 9 long years. (sic)” Series So Far… Before the final Test, Nair appeared in the first three clashes against England. The 33-year-old batter has made promising starts in the five-match Test series in England but failed to convert them into substantial scores, drawing scrutiny as critics question his place in the team. His scores before Thursday’s performance were: 14(33), 40(62), 26(46), 31(50), 20(54) and 0(4).