For the fourth Test match against England, captain Shubman Gill had the chance to continue supporting Karun Nair, according to former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif. Kaif, however, feels Gill has fallen short of capturing the qualities of a great leader by opting against the same.
After eight years, Nair made his way back to the Indian setup, but he was unable to write a dream comeback. India is now behind 1-2 in the five-match series after the batter failed to convert his starts in the first three Test matches. With a peak score of 40, Nair amassed 131 runs at an average of 21.83 in six innings. He was consequently removed from the current fourth game.
Shubman Gill had the opportunity today to support Karun, who was struggling but deserved another shot. Karun Nair should have been his choice. An hour into Day 1’s play, Kaif wrote on X, “India made three changes for the penultimate encounter of the five-match series. Chance missed to earn the respect when it comes to making tough decisions as a leader.”
Visit Kaif’s post to see it.
Today was Shubman Gill’s chance to back karun who was down but deserved one more chance. He should have picked Karun Nair. Chance missed to earn the respect when it comes to making tough decisions as a leader.
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) July 23, 2025
For the Manchester match, Gill brings Sudharsan over Nair.
The Indian captain announced at the toss that Sai Sudharsan will take Nair’s position for the Manchester Test. Anshul Kamboj and Shardul Thakur replaced the injured Nitish Kumar Reddy and Akash Deep, respectively, in India’s two other alterations to their starting lineup.
In fact, I was perplexed. It’s a good throw to lose. We have performed admirably in the last three Test matches. We have won more sessions than they have, but we have lost some crucial moments. You need a little respite. The three tests were all very hard. It appears to be a decent surface. Hard and pleasant. For the next four to five days, there are some rain-related forecasts. Three changes: Karun is replaced by Sai Sudharsan. At the toss, Gill stated, “Kamboj and Shardul are in as well for Akash Deep and Reddy who are injured.”
Liam Dawson replaced Shoaib Bashir, who suffered a hand injury during the third Test at Lord’s, as another change made by England.
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