Karun Nair's much-anticipated comeback in the Test setup is not going as per the contrary notion. The veteran, who was recalled in the red-ball format after scoring heavily in domestic cricket, is yet to score a single fifty in the six innings he has batted in the ongoing five-match Test series against England. The Karnataka player was also backed ahead of the promising Sai Sudarshan, who had to make way for Karun after playing just the first Leeds Test. Former cricketer Murli Karthik has questioned the right-hand batter's output so far.
The former off-spinner, who has played loads of County Cricket in London, slammed Karun for not seizing the golden opportunity with both hands. The expert also issued a warning to the veteran batter of immense pressure after mediocre returns in three Tests.
Advertisement
Also Read: Change of Guard in BCCI? President Roger Binny Nears Age-Cap Cutoff
“Karun Nair banged and broke the door, did everything, and made a comeback. That is why he has been in the 11 as well. But from No.5 or 6, he was shifted up to No.3 as he has experience. Given the number of runs he scored, he got a chance because of that. But has he grabbed the opportunity so far? I don’t think so, and there will be a lot of pressure on him,” Kartik said in an exclusive interview with Cricbuzz on the Cricbuzz Chatter show.
Murli Karthik questions management on continuity vs performance
The ex-cricketer further went on to state the dilemma Gambhir & Co are facing over continuity versus performances, while looking at Karun Nair in giving another shot in the fourth Manchester Test.
“Will India look at continuity? They should. Because if you are playing any player with some logic, you want the player to prove that right. But it is also important to see if the player has converted the runs based on the experience. Has he done it? Maybe not. So it will be interesting to see what Gautam Gambhir and Shubman Gill think about him for the next game,” Kartik added.
Also read: IND vs ENG: Massive update on Rishabh Pant's injury, India might have to make a tough decision
In three Tests so far, Nair has just gone on to score only 131 runs in six innings, with a high score of 40. He has also been consistently batting at the pivotal number three spot. However, he has failed to show the domestic spark and form. It remains to be seen if Gambhir persists with him for the remaining two Tests.
