Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, and Rishabh Pant have all scored at least one hundred in the ongoing India vs England Test series. Jaiswal is the worst performer amongst them, averaging 38.83. But still he has one fifty and one hundred in 6 innings.
India’s No. 3 problem in IND vs ENG Tests
You’ll notice all these batters are among India’s top five. The only spot remaining is number three. And India has tried two batters there, Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair. Combined, both average 21.83 with no score of over fifty. In a series where batters have thrived, whoever has batted at number three for India has failed them.
England’s number three, Ollie Pope, hasn’t done great. Yet, he averages 31 and has scored one hundred. Already trailing 1-2, Indian management must resolve this issue. Because at some point, those in form will fail. Cricket is a game of collective effort, but individuals have to stand up for that to happen, and India’s number threes haven’t done that yet.
| Batter | Score | Entry Points | Exit Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Test | Sai Sudharsan | 0 & 20 | 91/1 & 16/1 | 92/2 & 82/2 |
| 2nd Test | Karun Nair | 31 & 26 | 15/1 & 51/1 | 95/2 & 96/2 |
| 3rd Test | Karun Nair | 40 & 14 | 13/1 & 5/1 | 74/2 & 41/2 |
After Nair’s failures at Edgbaston and Lord’s, many feel it’s time to move on from him. The 33-year-old is yet to record a single-digit score, but he’s failed to convert all four of his starts. If that happens, it’ll just show that Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill have made selection blunders in the second and third Test matches.
Gill & Gambhir’s confusing selection process
When Sudharsan was named India’s number three at Headingley, it showed that the Indian management thought that he was a superior batter than Nair. The latter had played at the position for India A and scored a double hundred just weeks ago, yet Sudharsan was given the spot.
Everyone knows batting at number three in Test cricket is one of the toughest jobs. And Sudharsan was preferred over a vastly more experienced Nair. However, two low scores and Sudharsan was dropped. This move wasn’t great to begin with. If he was better equipped at number three before, how do two failures change that?
Firstly, you didn’t back Sudharsan, someone who was making his Test debut. As if playing your first red-ball match for India isn’t enough, you are doing it in England. When he needed backing, he was dropped. Now bringing him back at number three feels like Sudharsan is being set up for failure.
Everyone will point fingers at him if he fails now, since no one who has batted there has done well so far. Moreover, Nair has played two matches at three. Yes, he hasn’t lived up to expectations. But it wasn’t Nair’s mistake that he was told to play at number six at Headingley. He’s managed to blunt the new ball, which is the main weapon for wicket-taking in the series, and in part done his job.
The management wanted him to go big in at least one of his four innings. That hasn’t happened. England has given long ropes to Zak Crawley and Pope despite Jacob Bethell waiting in the wings. Perhaps the right call will be to back Nair once again, and if he doesn’t justify it, it’ll be the end of the road for him, and then Sudharsan should be given time to show his mettle at number three.
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