Karun Nair’s place under scrutiny as Sudharsan pushes for Manchester return
“But what I would be looking at is at number three. Would Karun Nair still continue or would 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 an 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 longer with Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar doing the job.
Pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who is allegedly expected to feature in only one of the remaining two Tests, is likely 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.”