India likely to make one change for Manchester Test as Karun Nair faces axe
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Cricket has given Karun Nair a 'second chance' but he doesn't seem to have made the most of it on the tour of England and could end up being the sole name on the chopping block when India's playing XI for the fourth Test is finalised.Back in the playing eleven after eight years, the 33-year-old has got starts in majority of his six innings but he has not been able to convert them into something substantial. He has looked good in the middle, especially while driving the ball but the rising ball from length has bothered him.In the second innings at Lord's, he misjudged the line and length of an incoming Brydon Carse delivery to offer no shot, finding himself trapped in front.Batting at number three, India expect solidity from Nair, who gate-crashed into the national team after piling up a mountain of runs on the domestic circuit.With India trailing 1-2 in the five-match series and the next game still a week away, the management needs to take a call -- stick to Nair or invest in the much younger Sai Sudharsan who got the rough end of the stick having been left out of the playing eleven after his debut game.The elegant left-hander did not do much wrong to be excluded, and it was done to accommodate an extra batting option at number eight.Almost a month later, Nair making way for the 23-year-old Sudharsan at Old Trafford could be the only change in the eleven as India look to level the series in the game starting July 23.Former India wicket-keeper Deep Dasgupta, who is commentating on the series, says it may be time to bring back Sudharsan, who is more likely to return to England in four years' time than Nair."You are still in it very much in the series so because even this Test match at Lord's was extremely close. It could have gone either way," he told PTI."But what I would be looking at is at number three. Would Karun Nair still continue or you want to invest in a young player like Sai Sudharsan who looked comfortable in the last innings that he played in that first Test match? He is young and investment for the future."Karun I think has got his chances. It's not about chances. More than that, I think how he's looked. He's looked comfortable in patches but a few questions are still unanswered. And that's what kind of makes me think otherwise."Dasgupta expects stability from a number three batter. When Sudharsan played in Leeds, Nair had batted at number six."Technically, he plays from the crease, especially on pitches where it's doing a little bit, that gets a little difficult. So it's not the fact that he hasn't scored big runs. He hasn't scored a 50 or something."But also, especially somebody batting at number three, you need to feel that solidity. And at times, it doesn't give me that impression," said Dasgupta referring to Nair.With Shubman Gill's men intensely competing with the home team, the series is expected to go down to the wire. Barring the one change in batting, India won't be looking at wholesale changes.In the bowling department, Kuldeep Yadav will have to wait more with Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar doing the job.Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who would be only featuring in one of the remaining two Tests, is expected to start in Manchester with India in a must win situation."I always knew India will do well. But again, for me, this Test series was not about the scoreline. It was always about the progression of this side, because we all do agree that this is going through a transition period," added Dasgupta.Like most others, he too expects Bumrah to lead the attack in the fourth Test."Bumrah should be ready to go. There has been a fair amount of rest in between matches. With India trailing 1-2, you would expect him to play."
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