Follow UsBefore the start of the five-match Test series against England, India didn't particularly have a No.3 problem. That situation only arose after the retirement of both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, which left a big void in the Indian batting unit. While KL Rauhl and Shubman Gill have filled the Rohit-Kohli void, they now have a big No.3 worry.
In the series, Karun Nair (111 runs at 27.77 per innings) and Sai Sudharsan (91 runs at 22.75 per innings) have batted at number three in all four Tests combined. This is the position where the Indians have scored the least number of runs in this series, with a total of only 202 runs in eight innings at an average of 25.25.
To combat the situation, former India opener Aakash Chopra suggested that the likes of Shreyas Iyer and Abhimanyu Easwaran, who have been in the side for the last five years, could be tried at that position.
“A question that is coming to the fore repeatedly is what will happen to No. 3. Sai Sudharsan scored runs at No. 3 in the first innings. However, he got out for zero in the second innings. This happened to him previously as well,” The Times of India quoted Chopra as saying on his YouTube channel.
“Karun Nair was given chances, but he couldn't do that well either. Abhimanyu Easwaran hasn’t got a go yet. Shreyas Iyer could be a possibility later on. But the No.3 problem is not yet sorted,” the ace commentator suggested as options that India should try.
Chopra also pointed out how India don’t face the problem of number four any more. “You haven’t felt Virat Kohli’s absence at No.4. KL Rahul has filled Rohit’s shoes. Gill is already on 78, some of his shots were breathtaking,” he said.
Sudharsan, who scored a half-century in the first innings of the Manchester Test, was not able to make any contribution in the second as India were fighting to save the game, having conceded a lead of 311 runs in the first innings.