The domestic stalwart is yet to get big runs at the No. 3 spot in England, creating a dilemma for the team ahead of the Old Trafford TestLONDON: Karun Nair and Sai Sudharsan have been batting simultaneously, in adjacent nets, over the last three weeks. Every time they take guard, with head coach Gautam Gambhir intently overseeing the session, it appears they are auditioning for a place in the playing XI.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!India have yet to zero in on a regular batter at the No. 3 spot. Nair, who has been playing at that position, has got off to decent starts but the big runs haven’t come yet. His shot-making has looked good at times but he has also looked vulnerable.
The team management went with Sudharsan at No. 3 in the first Test, with Nair batting at No. 6. They had to sacrifice one of them for the second Test in order to accommodate an extra utility allrounder to lengthen the batting order. Except Nair at No. 3, all the regular batters have been in good form.Nair’s lack of runs is a dilemma for the team even though captain Shubman Gill has asserted that he has a settled XII, probably hinting at having a replacement for one of the fast bowlers. No captain would want to tinker with the playing combination so frequently.
“We feel Karun’s rhythm and tempo is good. We want more runs from the No. 3. But the message is mainly, let’s really focus on what we’ve done well and tidy up the little things that have cost us results,” India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said after the team’s practice session in Beckenham.Clearly, 131 runs in six innings from the No. 3 — in the best of batting conditions in England — don’t inspire confidence. Nair’s dismissal late on the fourth day in the third Test swung the momentum of the game in England’s favour.
Whether to persist with Nair and pick him again for the fourth Test is the crucial decision selectors and team management now need to make. They have been vocal about rewarding those who have performed well in domestic cricket. Nair, at the age of 33, is India’s most prolific batter on the domestic cricket in recent times, with nine centuries in one season. Sudharsan is the future Indian cricket desperately wants to invest in.Former India wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta, who is a broadcaster here, reckons that the team must take a call on how they want to treat Nair in the upcoming fourth Test in Manchester.“My take is either you play him in the remaining Tests and see if he can be persisted with when we play at home next, or give Sudharsan a go in this Test itself (at Old Trafford) and stick with him,” Dasgupta told TOI.“I understand he is not giving away his wicket immediately and is setting up some sort of foundation for the middle order, which was not the case in Australia. But a No. 3 should be able to bat 60-70 overs instead of just arresting a slide,” he added.Murmurs in Indian cricket circles suggest Nair was preferred over Sudharsan purely on the grounds of his experience. Also, it would have made no sense to pick Nair in the squad at this age if he was going to be the second choice.
Former national selector Devang Gandhi, who had picked Nair in 2016, said, “This tour could be a bit harsh for Nair. He has looked a bit out of place. It’s important to reward domestic performances. But there was Shreyas Iyer as well who performed in domestic matches. Iyer has been consistently playing international cricket and IPL. He could have been an option,” Gandhi said.“It seems he is late on deliveries that are bowled quicker. The team management has to take a call if they want to play him in both Tests. If he doesn’t get big runs in this Test, dropping him will be unfair on the next man as well,” Gandhi said.The weather forecast in Manchester over the next week says it will be overcast and windy. The conditions could be a bit challenging against the new ball. The team management has to take a call on whether they want to change a batting lineup which has posted big runs in three of the last four innings.
