ENG vs IND 2025: 'Difficult to get an idea of what message this sends' - Murali Karthik questions India's selection calls in Manchester Test

The Indian team management, led by head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill, continues to draw flak for some of the selection calls in the ongoing fourth Test in Old Trafford, Manchester. Ravichandran Ashwin recently criticised Gambhir and Co. for dropping Karun Nair from the side.

Now, another former Indian spinner, Murali Kartik, questioned why Prasidh Krishna wasn't picked in the playing XI for the Manchester Test. The cricketer-turned-commentator failed to understand how Krishna, who was good enough to play the first two Tests, had suddenly slipped so much down the pecking order that Anshul Kamboj, who was brought in as an injury cover for Arshdeep Singh, was picked ahead of him.

Kartik also pointed out that India had Harshit Rana in the side as the injury cover in the first Test, but sent him back home without using his services and didn't recall him for the fourth Test.

“Sudharsan came in place of Karun Nair. Akash Deep was not playing, and Anshul Kamboj got his debut. And the return of Shardul Thakur is interesting because if we see, Prasidh Krishna was still fit to play two Test matches, and now, suddenly, he does not fit in the XI. Anshul Kamboj was not a part of the squad but has been called from outside, and Harshit Rana, who was in the squad, was not given the chance to play. So, it is difficult to get an idea of what message this sends," Kartik said while speaking on Cricbuzz Chatter.

Krishna played the first two Tests, but proved to be quite ordinary, picking up six wickets at an average of 55.17 and going for runs at an economy rate of 5.34.

Sai Sudharsan was the performer of the day: Murali Karthik

Kartik said that Sai Sudharsan, who replaced the misfiring Karun Nair, proved to be best performer for India on Day 1. The 23-year-old showed a lot of grit and determination during his knock of 61 off 151 deliveries. He hit seven boundaries during his innings before getting dismissed in the final session by Ben Stokes.

“Sai Sudharsan was the performer of the day. The ball was acting up when he was on the field, batting. And batters always feel that they batted well, but they are still asked to sit out. A batter is always in a dilemma. So the way he batted deserves praise,” Karthik said.