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After going down in the third Test at Lord’s in London by 22 runs, the Shubman Gill-led Indian team will hope to reunite and hit the right chords in the upcoming fourth Test, set to be played from Wednesday, July 23 at the Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester. It is to be noted that India bounced back in the second Test at Edgbaston and registered a convincing 336-run win to level the series, but failed to hold their nerves in the last Test, eventually falling short by just 22 runs.
While the Men in Blue hope to comeback strongly, they do have some injury concerns. While Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep are out of the fourth Test due to respective injuries, they are also sweating on the fitness of star Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant. However, it has to be seen whether Pant plays as a specialist batter or will return to wicketkeeping duties.
We think Karun in batting well: Shubman Gill hints at Karun Nair’s inclusion in Manchester Test
Addressing the pre-match press conference on the eve of the fourth Test, skipper Shubman Gill was encountered with a question involving a few players. While he confirmed Akash Deep to miss out on the fourth Test, he was also asked if Karun Nair will continue at No. 3 despite multiple failed opportunities. When inquired of the same, Gill hinted to continue with the Karnataka batter, stating, “Yes, we have had conversations with him, but we think he is batting well.”
“We think Karun is betting well. The first match he didn't really play at this number. It's difficult when a player is making a comeback in a series like this. But I don't think there's been any issue with his batting. He's been batting well. Sometimes it's also about getting that click. Once you're able to make your fifty, then you're able to get back into your zone and get some big runs. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened for him so far, but, we are hopeful that he will be able to turn around,” Gill continued.
Watch Shubman Gill drop big hint on Karun Nair’s inclusion in Manchester Test:
The 30-year-old scored 20 runs across the two innings in the first Test at Headingley, Leeds. He then came back a little better, scoring 31 and 26 across the two innings in Birmingham, followed by registering scores of 40 and 14 in the third Test at Lord’s. So far, the Karnataka-born has amassed 131 runs across the six innings on his return in the India whites after over seven years.
