"Not Expected From No. 3": Karun Nair Slammed Ahead Of Team Selection For India vs England 4th Test

Former India wicketkeeper Farokh Engineer slammed batter Karun Nair for his back-to-back poor performances in the ongoing five-match Test series against England. Nair, who returned to Team India after a hiatus of eight years, completely failed to leave a mark in the first three matches. So far, he has scored 131 runs in three games, with his highest score being 40. India are currently trailing 1-2 in the five-match series and the questions are being raised on Nair's spot in the Playing XI for the fourth Test, which will be played from July 23. 

Engineer criticised Nair for his mediocre performances and stated that big scores are expected from a batter who is batting at No.3. 

"Karun Nair has been getting brilliant 20s and 30s. He's (Nair) scored beautiful 30 runs, beautiful cover drives and all that. But a beautiful 30 is not expected from a No. 3. You've got to get a not-so-beautiful 100. You need runs on the board. You need (to score) bigger. The expectation should be much higher," he told the Times of India.

Engineer further stated that young player like Sai Sudharsan should get another chance in the team.

"We should pick the best XI. I haven't seen much of Sai Sudharsan. You've got to pick the best player for the time being. Who's going to give you maximum? You are playing for your country. Your reputation is at stake. So, I would say, forget the age. If he's good, play him to win this Test match," said Engineer.

Earlier, India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate cleared the air over Karun Nair's position in the side. The assistant coach said the team remains in good spirits despite losing two Tests they were in a position to win.

"That might be counter-intuitive when you're 2-1 down in the series. But we feel like the guys have been excellent for large parts of the series. The repetition of losing lots of wickets in a very short space of time has obviously been the key feature of the two losses.

"Probably both times in Headingley and obviously overnight and first thing in the morning at Lord's, we feel cost us the game was losing six wickets for 40 again. But if you look at it individually, if you look at the run tally of all the batters they're all batting nicely," he said.

"Even someone like Karun, we feel his rhythm is good, his tempo is good. We want more runs from the three. But the message is mainly, let's really focus on what we've done well and tidy up the little things that have cost us results, essentially," Ryan ten Doeschate added. 

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team England Cricket Team Karun Nair Farokh Maneksha Engineer England vs India, 2025 Cricket