India lost the fourth consecutive toss in the series.
Team India have made three changes to their playing XI for the fourth ENG vs IND Test at Old Trafford. While two of those were forced, one change was made due to lack of runs in the series so far. All-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy was ruled out of the series with two Tests to play. To add to the visitors’ woes, pacers Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep were also declared unavailable for the penultimate Test in Manchester. The unforced change, however, came in the form of Karun Nair being benched for Sai Sudharsan.
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Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif took to his social media handles to voice his opinions on the exclusion of Nair. He referred to the Karnataka batter as ‘down but not out’ and expressed that he deserved a chance to play in another game. Kaif also went a notch further to say that captain Shubman Gill missed his chance by not backing Nair to play at Old Trafford. India’s hero from the Lord’s 2002 Natwest Series Final also said that the 25-year-old could have earned a lot of respect by making these tough decisions as a leader of the team.
Shubman Gill spoke clearly about the same topic in the pre-match press conference. He stated that the team management and he were in clear communication with the 33-year-old batter. Gill also assured that Nair is in a good mental space ahead of the remaining two Test matches. While the Indian skipper would want to be known as a good leader, he has an important series to win. India are 2-1 behind in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy and would love to bounce back at Old Trafford.
The Delhi Capitals (DC) star has got a couple of starts, but hasn’t been able to convert them into big totals. This might be the reason for his exclusion in the fourth Test in Manchester. He scored a 40 & 14 in the third Test at Lord’s, and looked compact in his defense. He was dismissed by Ben Stokes in the first innings, thanks to Joe Root, who caught a blinder at first slip. The ball was angled in and seamed away to get the outside-edge of the bat. Root was ready in the slip cordon. Nair fell to Brydon Carse in the second innings. The Indian No.3 was once again looking well set on the evening of Day 4. But this time, he was trapped LBW by Carse. India’s triple centurion offered no shot and had to walk back despite the impact being outside off.
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Nair’s comeback story to the Indian Test team has been one driven by emotion. He wasn’t picked to play for the team much after his triple century in Chennai against the same opposition. He was picked on the side after his strong performances in the domestic circuit. However, he could only amass 131 runs in the six innings he played. The team felt it was time to give another chance to Sai Sudharsan. The Gujarat Titans (GT) opener played the first Test in Leeds and was benched for the next two Tests. With age by his side, Sudharsan will try and make the most of the opportunities presented to him.
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