Irfan Pathan, the former all-rounder, spoke about the selection woes India is facing before the fourth Test against England in Manchester, starting Wednesday. Injuries and some players’ poor form has given the team a selection headache.
India is down 1-2 in the five-match series and needs to win after losing the third Test by 22 runs. Karun Nair’s spot in the team is under scanner after he didn’t perform well at Lord’s. He has scored 131 runs at an average of 21.83, while other Indian batters have scored easily.
Like Ravichandran Ashwin, Pathan said Nair hasn’t played badly; he has batted well, but hasn’t scored many runs. Pathan feels if Sai Sudharsan, who was dropped after the first match of the series, comes in at number three, it could give India a tactical advantage.
He believes England’s inexperienced bowling attack has struggled against left-handed batters, which could help India. While Pathan thinks Sai’s return would be helpful, he said sticking with Nair wouldn’t be a bad decision either.
Should India play Nair? He has batted well, but hasn’t scored big, with 40 being his highest. He hasn’t exactly struggled. Still, I think Sai should play because he’s a left-handed batter, and England hasn’t bowled well to left-handers. If the team sticks with Nair, it wouldn’t be a terrible choice, Pathan said on his YouTube channel.
Pathan then spoke about the third seamer position which is open due to injuries to Akash Deep and Arshdeep Singh. Anshul Kamboj, who hasn’t played for India yet, has joined the team in Manchester to provide cover in the fast bowling department.
People are debating whether India should play Kamboj or recall Prasidh Krishna, who didn’t play in the third Test at Lord’s. Prasidh struggled to take wickets in the first two Tests, getting six in four innings.
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Kamboj has done well in Indian domestic cricket with his accurate bowling. He was a standout player in the last Ranji Trophy season, taking 34 wickets in six matches at an impressive average of 13.79.Pathan said who should support Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, I think Prasidh Krishna should play. In a big match you usually go with experience.
This is a big match. I am sure Anshul Kamboj will do well when he plays for India. I like his action and the way he positions the seam. I still think it’s better to go with experience, he said.
