Former India captain Anil Kumble believes India should avoid making too many changes for the fourth Test against England in Manchester. The veteran also backed India No 3 Karun Nair to keep his place in the team despite India’s 22-run loss at Lord’s. With the loss at Lord’s, England now lead the five-match series 2-1, with the next Test starting on July 23.Asked if changes were needed and whether Nair should stay in the XI, Kumble said, “I don’t want to make too many changes because I think India have played a fantastic game. Yes, they lost by 22 runs. Unless injuries, we don’t know about Rishabh Pant.”
Backing the 33-year-old for the upcoming Test, Kumble added, “He certainly keeps his place. He did enough in the first innings. In the second innings, it was probably a brain fade, but he was batting well. That partnership was crucial.” Kumble referred to Nair’s 61-run partnership with KL Rahul in the first innings, which helped protect captain Shubman Gill from facing the new ball early. “If he had gotten out early, then maybe Shubman Gill exposed slightly earlier with the new ball. We know that the first 20 or 25 overs were crucial. I think he will still keep his place. He was unfortunate that he got out. It was a brilliant catch by Joe Root. Probably give him one more opportunity,” Kumble said on Star Sports’ Follow the Blues, . Nair scored 40 runs in the first innings before being caught by Joe Root off Ben Stokes. In the second innings, he made 14 and was trapped lbw by Brydon Carse. Kumble also praised Ravindra Jadeja’s recent batting contributions, especially from the lower order. When asked if lower-order runs were India’s biggest positive from Lord’s, he said, “The first Test, when India lost, the contribution from the lower order was nothing in the two innings, and since then, Ravindra Jadeja has certainly stepped up with his batting. He certainly will feel confident, and the team management will also feel so much more confident that the lower order is now contributing.”
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Kumble noted Jadeja’s ability to build partnerships with both top and lower-order players. “He has been the sole sort of leader in that middle order to hold the innings, not just with a recognized batter, and putting together a partnership, but also ensuring that the lower order starts contributing along with him, and those partnerships that he has had, even in the first innings with Nitish Kumar Reddy, second innings with him, and of course, with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj,” he said. Jadeja scored 72 and 61* in the two innings at Lord’s, guiding India from a precarious position of 82/7 in the second innings. The veteran’s marathon stand however, went up in vain with the ‘unlucky’ wicket of Mohammed Siraj at the hands of spinner Shoaib Bashir, falling 22 runs short of what would have been an iconic win.
