ENG vs IND 2025: 'No issues with his batting' - Shubman Gill hints another chance for Karun Nair in Manchester
Despite having scores like 0, 20, 31, 26, 40, and 14 — Karun Nair has received a much-needed hand on his shoulders from Shubman Gill.
The ongoing five-match series between England and India has been a nightmarish tour for comeback man Karun Nair so far. In the six innings up until now, the ace batter hasn't managed a single fifty-plus score, which is very concerning, since his contributions with the bat may well have changed the face of the series as the teams turn their heads towards the fourth Test in Manchester, which starts July 23.
Despite having scores like 0, 20, 31, 26, 40, and 14 — Karun Nair has received a much-needed supporting hand on his shoulders from Shubman Gill. The Indian captain believes that Nair has been batting well, but not getting big scores under his belt is the only concern right now. He has also hinted at a possible inclusion of the 33-year-old for the Manchester clash, also being hopeful for the No. 3 batter to turn it around for himself and for the batting unit.
“We think he is batting well. First match, he didn't play at his number. No issues with his batting. Once you are able to get to 50 and get in the zone. We are hopeful that he can turn it around,” Gill said at the pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
Pant will keep wickets in Manchester Test - Shubman Gill
Akash Deep ruled out
In another unfortunate turn of events, India will be without the services of Akash Deep in addition to Nitish Kumar Reddy and Arshdeep Singh for the fourth match of the five-game series. The pacer has missed out on being fit owing to a groin niggle that has zeroed his chances to feature in the Playing XI in Manchester. Gill, however, is confident of still having a pretty decent bowling unit, which can claim 20 wickets of the opposition.
“Never easy when there's a bit of injuries going around in the squad. Nitish is gonna miss out the series and Akash [Deep] is also unavailable for this next match, and so is Arshdeep. But I think we have got enough good players in the team to be able to firstly get 20 wickets. That's been the most challenging part of the series. But I think, looking at the weather, it should be a good game,” the 25-year-old said.
Anshul Kamboj is likely to receive his maiden international cap on Wednesday to feature as India's third pacer alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. However, the chances surrounding Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur and Kuldeep Yadav cannot be ruled out.
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