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Kaif advises India against making 'panic' changes in Manchester, lends support to Nair: ‘Should back same team'
Mohammad Kaif has thrown his weight behind under-fire batter Karun Nair, urging captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir to continue backing him in the ongoing series. Reuters/PTI
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has urged current Test captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir to not make mass changes to their team combination after the 22-run defeat at Lord's, which has left them trailing England 1-2 in the ongoing five-Test series.
Kaif's comment was particularly directed at Karun Nair, who has made his return to the Indian team after eight years in the ongoing series but faces the prospect of getting benched in the fourth Test in Manchester for his failure to collect a big score after a series of starts.
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'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 two-three changes. But after winning in Birmingham, only (Jasprit) Bumrah came in – no other changes. That's been the pattern,' Kaif, who represented India in 13 Tests and 125 ODIs, told IANS.
'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 had drafted the trio of Akash Deep, Washington Sundar and Nitish Kumar Reddy into the playing XI after losing the series opener at Headingley by five wickets. Only one of those three changes was forced, with Akash replacing Jasprit Bumrah after the latter was rested for the second Test as part of his workload management.
Bumrah would later return to the XI at Lord's, replacing Prasidh Krishna with Akash retaining his place after a match-winning 10-wicket haul across both innings at Edgbaston.
Nair, meanwhile, has scored 131 runs in six outings at an average slightly above 20, having gone past 30 just twice in the ongoing series. The team management had opted to bench top-order batter B Sai Sudharsan after handing him his Test debut at Headingley, with Gill and Gambhir opting to move Nair to No 3 from No 6 for the next two Tests.
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The Vidarbha batter, however, faces immense pressure to retain his place in the Test team; he might get another shot at Old Trafford, or even in the final Test at The Oval, but the doors will be firmly shut on him beyond this series if he fails to notch up a single big score.
'They've surprised everyone'
Kaif also lauded the current team for standing up and delivering in the ongoing Test series in the absence of stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravichandran Ashwin. While Ashwin had announced his international retirement midway during the tour of Australia in December, Rohit and Kohli had brought the curtains down on their Test careers in May.
'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.
'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,' Kaif added.
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The fourth Test between India and England gets underway at Old Trafford on Wednesday, with Gill and Co needing a victory to keep their hopes of a series win alive.
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