The Indian team underwent three changes in the starting lineup in the fourth Test at Manchester as Sai Sudharsan, Shardul Thakur and debutant Anshul Kamboj walked in places of Karun Nair, Akash Deep and Nitish Kumar Reddy.
While Akash Deep and Nitish Reddy missed out on the game due to injuries, Nair was dropped after a series of underwhelming performances.
The Karnataka batter returned to the Indian team after nine years and was picked in the first three Test matches. While he did get a start in a few innings, he failed to convert them into big scores.
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His inconsistency at the top of the batting order might have forced the team management to bring back Sai Sudharsan at the No.3 role at the expense of Nair.
Mohammad Kaif, however, claimed that captain Shubman Gill should have shown some trust in Nair during his rough patch, instead of dropping the player and shattering his confidence.
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Mohammad Kaif lashes out at Shubman Gill
On his X account, Kaif wrote: "Today was Shubman Gill's chance to back Karun, who was down but deserved one more chance. He should have picked Karun Nair. Chance missed to earn the respect when it comes to making tough decisions as a leader."
Today was Shubman Gill's chance to back karun who was down but deserved one more chance. He should have picked Karun Nair. Chance missed to earn the respect when it comes to making tough decisions as a leader.
— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) July 23, 2025
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What next for the Indian cricket team?
India are off to a flying start as Yashasvi Jaiswal and KL Rahul put up a 94-run opening partnership, before Rahul departed.