As India take on England in the 4th Test of the five-match series, injuries to key players like Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep have forced the visitors to make changes to their playing XI. While Haryana pacer Anshul Kamboj and Shardul Thakur take their places in the XI, Sai Sudharsan too is a new face in the batting order as opposed to Karun Nair, who was utilized in the previous Test.IND vs ENG Live Score 4th TestFollowing Sudharsan’s inclusion in the team, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif protested the call from captain Shubman Gill. In a post on X, Kaif wrote, “Today was Shubman Gill’s chance to back Karun (Nair) 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.”
The fact that Karun Nair managed 40 and then 14 in his most recent outing at Lord’s adds to the claim that Gill may have looked at Sudharsan for the No 3 role for this very reason. In the 1st Test, Sudharsan took the No 3 spot, form where he got out for a duck in the 1st innings and 30 in the 2nd.This prompted a change in the 2nd Test, where Nair came in and scored 31 and 26, where India won by a whopping 336 runs.
Poll
Should Shubman Gill have chosen Karun Nair over Sai Sudharsan for the No 3 spot?
Kaif’s criticism comes at a time when India are desperately in need of a win in the series. A loss would mean that India will no longer be able to secure a series victory, but a win means that the visitors can push the series decider to the final match at The Oval.
