Follow UsTwo Tests into his comeback, Karun Nair’s current state in Indian cricket is quite shaky.
The Karnataka man made his comeback against England in the first Test, where he scored 0 and 20 in two innings. While he certainly improved in his second Test in Birmingham, with scores of 31 & 26, there’s still no certainty that he will keep his place in India’s playing XI by the end of the series.
Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra had his say over Nair’s place, stating that he would give him one more game, and then take a call over his future.
“I would say give Karun Nair one more chance for sure, because this is now Karun Nair’s final chance. He played earlier, scored a triple century, and then got dropped. It was slightly unfair at that time,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Nair held his place in the playing XI, as India dropped Sai Sudharsan to accommodate Washington Sundar in the side, at No.7.
“He was kept and Sai Sudharsan was dropped. I would say give him a minimum of one more Test match. Then it will be six innings. You can take a call after six innings. When you are giving a chance to a player, err on the side of giving one extra game than one fewer. Comebacks don’t happen easily. Give him enough chances to fail or succeed,” Chopra said.
However, while he hasn’t yet converted his starts into a substantial score, the right-hander has made a strong impression with the bat. Nair has been a dependable player at slips, pulling off all the catches that have come his way.
“Then he scored a lot of runs and returned to the team. He asked cricket to give him a second chance. He went to Vidarbha, and cricket gave him a second chance. However, at some stage, that story will also end, and this is the match. In the first two matches, we have seen glimpses that he can bat well, but he hasn’t scored too many runs,” he observed.
With the series tied at 1-1, India would hope for Nair to wake up from his slumber at Lord’s, beginning July 10 (Thursday).