Jatin Paranjape, a former Indian cricketer and selector, says don’t count out this young Indian team just yet after going down 1-2 in the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy series. They came back strong in the second game at Edgbaston and tied the 5-match series 1-1. Now every game is a must-win for India.
Paranjpe thinks this team is resilient. He told PTI that the team has moved beyond Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and the younger players will step up in Manchester.
I think we were unlucky not to be 3-0 up, he said, referring to the close loss at Lord’s. Rishabh Pant’s run-out was really bad timing. If he and Rahul had added another 60-70 runs, the game would have gone our way.
Backing the current team, Paranjpe called them brave and fearless.
“Don’t write off this team. The next Test will be interesting. The wicket became more challenging then but it’s not about experience. These things happen. The only way is forward.
There is uncertainty over Jasprit Bumrah’s availability for the fourth Test as he’s playing only three Tests in this series. But Paranjape is sure he’ll play.
“He will play the next two Tests — I’m sure of it.
He also advised the team to stick with Karun Nair at No. 3, despite his low scores. Nair, playing after 8 years, was at number 6 in the first Test in Leeds. He moved up to number 3 in the last two games. Though he had good starts, he didn’t make big scores.
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Nair has scored 131 runs with an average of 21.83, his highest score being 40.
“It’s a tough place to bat but he’s had good starts. I think they’ll stick with him for the last two games.
Paranjape ended on a positive note, expecting a strong reaction from the visiting team: “India will come back and tie the series in Manchester.”
