Ahead of the fourth Test against England in Manchester, former cricketer Mohammad Kaif has urged the Indian team management to keep backing Karun Nair despite the batter’s poor returns with bat in the ongoing series.
Nair, who reclaimed his place in the Indian Test side after eight years, has displayed class at the crease but hasn’t been able to convert his starts into meaningful scores. His scores in the first three games of the series read 0, 20, 31, 26, 40 and 14.
Speaking to IANS, Kaif offered important advice to India while also claiming that the team panics whenever it loses a game.
"One thing I've noticed - when India lose, they panic. When they win, they stick with the same XI. After losing the first Test, they made 2-3 changes. But after winning in Birmingham, only (Jasprit) Bumrah came in - no other changes. That's been the pattern," Kaif said.
"Even after losing the third Test, I believe they should back the same team going into Manchester. Karun Nair has been getting starts - 30s and 40s - but not converting. Still, he deserves another opportunity. This is a test for both Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir. After a close loss, will they panic and make changes? Or will they trust the players?" he added.
India lost the series opener at Headingley by five wickets, while they bounced back to win the second Test at Edgbaston by 336 runs. In the third Test at Lord’s, the Shubman Gill-led side went down by 22 runs in the chase of 193, thereby conceding 1-2 lead to England in the five-match series.
"India dominated for 12-13 out of the last 15 days. They played solid cricket - both with the bat and the ball. When this team landed in England, most people predicted a 0-4 or 1-4 defeat, but they've surprised everyone," said Kaif.
"Without Kohli, Rohit, Shami, and Ashwin, this young team stood up and delivered. They lost two close matches - Headingley was in India's grasp, and so was the final Test while chasing 193. Shubman Gill has led from the front - as captain and as a batsman. There were doubts about his ability to perform in English conditions, but he answered with the bat. With a bit of luck, India could've won all three Tests," he further remarked.
The penultimate Test is scheduled to get underway on July 23 at Old Trafford, Manchester.
(With IANS Inputs)
