ENG vs IND 4th Test Playing 11: Will Karun Nair be dropped for Sudharsan?

Karun Nair’s return to Test cricket after eight years has not gone as planned. In three outings against England—at Headingley, Edgbaston, and Lord’s—the Karnataka batter has scored just 131 runs at an average of 21.83, with a top score of 40. While Nair has managed to spend time at the crease, facing 249 deliveries in six innings, his vulnerability to pace and seam has raised concerns ahead of the fourth Test in Manchester, starting July 23.

 

The 32-year-old’s scores of 0, 20, 31, 26, 40, and 14 reflect a string of starts that failed to materialise into substantial contributions. With India trailing 1-2 in the five-match series, captain Shubman Gill may have to decide between persisting with Nair or giving an opportunity to 23-year-old Sai Sudharsan, who is waiting in the wings. 

 

Coaching staff backs Nair—for now

 

India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate addressed the speculation around Nair’s place in the Playing 11 for the 4th Test. Speaking after the Lord’s defeat, he defended the team’s collective effort and highlighted the batting unit’s overall rhythm.

 

"That might be counter-intuitive when you're 2-1 down, but we feel the players have been excellent for large parts of the series," Doeschate said.

 

"Even someone like Karun—we feel his rhythm is good, his tempo is good. We want more runs from No. 3, but the focus is on doing the basics right and correcting the little things that have cost us." 

Karun Nair Career Stats – Tests, first-class, List A among others
Format	Matches	Innings	NO	Runs	Highest score	Average	Balls faced	Strike rate	Hundreds	Fifties	Fours	Sixes	Catches
Tests	9	13	1	505	303*	42.08	755	66.88	1	0	59	4	10
ODIs	2	2	0	46	39	23	88	52.27	0	0	6	0	0
FC	119	192	16	8601	328	48.86	16289	52.8	24	36	1063	45	102
List A	107	97	21	3128	163*	41.15	3505	89.24	8	14	330	53	45
T20s	171	156	17	3660	111	26.33	2681	136.51	2	22	367	126	68

 

Sudharsan’s case grows stronger

 

The call to drop 23-year-old Sudharsan after just one Test—despite a steady second innings on debut—was questioned at the time. The left-hander, who hails from Tamil Nadu, was benched to accommodate a deeper batting line-up, but with Nair’s struggles now apparent, Sudharsan appears to be in contention for a recall.

 

Former India wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta has called for a straight swap at No. 3.

 

"It’s not that Nair hasn’t made runs—he’s got starts but hasn’t looked convincing. If you’re investing in someone, it makes more sense to back a younger player like Sai. He’ll benefit from the experience of playing in England," Dasgupta said.   

Sai Sudharsan Career Stats
Format	Matches	Innings	Not Out	Runs	Highest score	Average	Balls faced	Strike rate	100s	50s	4s	6s	Catches
Tests	1	2	0	30	30	15	52	57.69	0	0	4	0	1
ODIs	3	3	1	127	62	63.5	142	89.43	0	2	17	1	1
T20Is	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	0
FC	30	51	0	1987	213	38.96	3606	55.1	7	5	209	10	21
List A	28	27	4	1396	154	60.69	1460	95.61	6	6	153	17	8
T20s	60	59	7	2271	108*	43.67	1645	138.05	2	14	228	56	16

 

Kumble, Manjrekar offer contrasting views

 

Opinions remain divided among former cricketers. Anil Kumble believes Nair deserves another chance.

 

"I wouldn’t make too many changes. He did enough in the first innings at Lord’s. The second innings dismissal was a brain fade, but he was batting well," Kumble said on Follow The Blues, a sports show on JioHotstar - the platform providing free live streaming service for India tour of England 2025.

 

  Ravi Shastri, on the other hand, was critical of Nair’s shot selection during a crucial phase.

 

"That was a huge lapse in concentration—to leave a straight ball and open the door for England. That dismissal changed the momentum," Shastri noted on The ICC Review.

 

Sanjay Manjrekar has also expressed disappointment with how Sudharsan was treated.

 

"I didn’t agree with some selections last game. Dropping Sudharsan after just one Test was harsh, especially when others aren’t scoring big. I don’t see Nair as a No. 3. Sai deserves that opportunity," he said on ESPN Cricinfo. 

Top 15 highest run-getter in England vs India Test series 2025
Rank	Player	Matches	Inns	Runs	Avg	Sr	4s	6s
1	Shubman Gill	3	6	607	101.17	71.83	66	12
2	Rishabh Pant	3	6	425	70.83	78.41	46	15
3	Jamie Smith	3	6	415	103.75	85.92	45	11
4	KL Rahul	3	6	375	62.5	55.97	55	-
5	Ravindra Jadeja	3	6	327	109	52.57	31	5
6	Harry Brook	3	6	314	52.33	75.3	37	4
7	Ben Duckett	3	6	271	45.17	80.65	39	1
8	Joe Root	3	6	253	50.6	50.7	22	-
9	Yashasvi Jaiswal	3	6	233	38.83	74.2	39	1
10	Ollie Pope	3	6	186	31	58.68	24	-
11	Ben Stokes	3	6	163	27.17	42.56	20	-
12	Karun Nair	3	6	131	21.83	52.61	18	-
13	Zak Crawley	3	6	128	21.33	49.04	18	-
14	Brydon Carse	3	5	117	23.4	72.22	15	2
15	Washington Sundar	2	4	77	25.67	40.53	5	3