Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Deep Dasgupta has suggested replacing Karun Nair with B Sai Sudharsan for the final two Test matches against England, as Nair has struggled to establish himself at number three position in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series.Nair, who returned to the Test team after an eight-year gap, has managed only 131 runs in three games and remains the sole top-four batter from either team without a half-century in the series.Sai Sudharsan, who made his Test debut at Leeds scoring zero and 30, was later benched to accommodate batting all-rounder Washington Sundar for the Edgbaston and Lord’s matches.“In the Playing XI, you don’t want more than one change. If there is only one, it would be replacing Karun Nair with Sai Sudharsan. Because Karun Nair hasn’t made any runs. He’s got starts, but hasn’t converted them into big scores. I also believe he doesn’t look that comfortable at the crease either,” Dasgupta said on JioHotstar.
“And secondly, Sai Sudharsan is a young player. If you want to invest in this England series, you’d rather invest in a younger player. Karun Nair has got starts in both Test matches, but he hasn’t looked that convincing,” he added.“So if you’re looking to build ahead, you might as well invest in someone like Sai Sudharsan. Because after this, I don’t know when you’ll come back to a series in England. So when you have two Tests left, invest in Sai Sudharsan,” Dasgupta concluded.India currently trails 1-2 in the five-match series.The Shubman Gill-led Indian team will aim to level the series in the fourth Test beginning July 23 at Old Trafford, Manchester.The fifth and final Test match will be played at The Oval in London from July 31 to August 4.
