TV
After being ignored by the BCCI selectors for eight years, veteran batsman Karun Nair was handed a rare second chance in international cricket, following his impressive domestic season and also a double century against England lions. However, the right-handed batter has so far failed to prove his worth.
Nair has managed to score only 131 runs across six innings at an average of under 22 against England in the ongoing Test series.
Nair struggled against express pacers. He was mainly found struggling while coping extra pace and bounce of bowlers like Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer.
In response, former BCCI selector Devang Gandhi and ex-India wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta have raised questions about Karun Nair’s future in Test cricket following his disappointing performance in England so far.
According to Devang, Nair’s trigger movement more especially, the timing of his front foot is his technical weakness.
"If you watch closely, Karun’s front foot is still in the air at the point of release from a fast bowler. That delay makes it harder for him to go back or forward quickly, especially against faster bowlers like Archer or Carse," said Devang in a recent interaction.
"Nair is doing the hard yards, playing over 30 balls in almost every innings, but lapses in concentration and technical timing are costing him. He needs an earlier trigger movement. That’s fixable, but at his age, it’s not easy. Adapting to different triggers for different bowlers is another option, but that takes time and high-level skill," he added.
Must Read: Ind vs Eng: Will Jasprit Bumrah play in the fourth Test?
Deep Dasgupta also backed Devang to include Sai Sudarshan in the playing XI for the fourth Test in place of Nair.
"You have to look at the bigger picture. Karun is almost 34, and Sai is just starting out. If you’ve identified Sai as someone who could be part of the Test setup for the next decade, then he needs to be playing in these conditions now," said Dasgupta.
