India’s No. 3 Slot: Karun Nair’s performance in England has been a bit of a roller coaster. He looked quite solid in Birmingham and was a bit unlucky at Leeds. But things didn’t go well for him in the Lord’s Test, especially in the second innings where he had a sudden lapse of judgment, which turned out costly. Nair has shown some good signs here and there, but fans and selectors are still waiting for that one strong and big innings. He batted twice at No. 6 and then was moved up to No. 3 for four innings. Though he looked smooth with his strokes, he hasn’t yet shown the kind of dominance expected from someone in that key position.
No. 3 is a very important batting position for Team India. In the past, it was filled by legends like Rahul Dravid and Cheteshwar Pujara. But ever since Pujara was sidelined, there has been a lot of shifting and testing different players for that role.
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Shubman Gill wanted to bat at No. 3, but then Rohit Sharma’s shuffle in the batting order during the Australia series made KL Rahul come down from opening to No. 3. Now, Gill is batting at No. 4, which again leaves India searching for a solid No. 3 option. Whoever takes that spot has to be dependable and make things easier for the next batter. Like how Rahul Dravid made things easier for Sachin Tendulkar, and later, Pujara did the same for Virat Kohli. Now, Shubman Gill needs someone solid to play that role for him.
Is Nair the Right Man?
India tried Sai Sudharsan at first, but then went for Karun Nair because they wanted more depth in batting. This is why Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar were brought in. So far, Nair has played four innings, got three decent starts, and had one bad shot that led to his dismissal. To be fair, he has looked good. But now the team management has to decide if they really see Nair doing this job for the rest of the World Test Championship cycle.
Former players Farokh Engineer and Dilip Vengsarkar spoke about this. Engineer said, “Karun Nair has been getting brilliant 20s and 30s. But from a No. 3 batsman Dilip Vengsarkar used to get centuries. Three hundreds at Lord’s, which I don’t think any other Indian cricketer has done.” After this, Vengsarkar added, “You’ve got to pick the best player for the time being. Who’s going to give you maximum… We want to win this series. Thinking of the future is one thing. But you’ve got to play your best XI. You are playing against a world-class side here” reported TOI.
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India at No. 3 vs England in 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy
- 1st Test: Sai Sudharsan – 0 and 30
- 2nd Test: Karun Nair – 31 and 26
- 3rd Test: Karun Nair – 40 and 14
Engineer also said that winning the current series is more important, and India must pick the best XI to stay alive. India is trailing 1-2 in the series after the loss at Lord’s. Both Engineer and Vengsarkar have not seen much of Sai Sudharsan in red-ball cricket, and they want someone at No. 3 who scores runs and not just looks good while batting.
Engineer said, “We should pick the best XI. I haven’t seen much of Sai Sudharsan. He’s (Nair) scored beautiful 30 runs, beautiful cover drives and all that. But a beautiful 30 is not expected from a No. 3. You’ve got to get a not-so-beautiful 100. You need runs on the board. You need (to score) bigger… the expectation should be much higher.”
There is now some talk about Sai Sudharsan playing in the fourth Test which starts on July 23 at Old Trafford. But both Engineer and Vengsarkar have only seen him during IPL matches. They believe that age should not be a factor in deciding the team, and winning should be the main goal. Engineer said, “You’re playing for your country. Your reputation is at stake. So, I would say, forget the age. If he’s good, play him to win this Test match.”
The Indian team had a training session at Beckenham on Thursday and will move to Manchester on July 19. Once the team starts its final practice sessions before the fourth Test, the management has to make a tough decision.
