The Indian team management, led by head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill, continues to face criticism for some of the selection decisions made in the ongoing fourth Test in Old Trafford, Manchester. Ravichandran Ashwin recently chastised Gambhir and Co. for dropping Karun Nair from the team.
Murali Karthik, another former Indian spinner, has questioned why Prasidh Krishna was not included in the starting XI for the Manchester Test. The cricketer-turned-commentator couldn’t comprehend how Krishna, who was talented enough to play the first two Tests, had suddenly fallen so far down the pecking order that Anshul Kamboj, brought in as an injury replacement for Arshdeep Singh, was chosen ahead of him.
Kartik further pointed out that India had Harshit Rana in the squad as an injury cover in the first Test, but he was sent home without being used and was not called up for the fourth.
“Sudharsan took the place of Karun Nair. Akash Deep was not playing, so Anshul Kamboj made his debut. And the return of Shardul Thakur is intriguing since, as we can see, Prasidh Krishna was still fit to play two Test matches, but now he does not fit into the XI. Anshul Kamboj was not in the squad but was called up from outside, and Harshit Rana, who was in the team, was not given the opportunity to play. So it’s impossible to determine what message this conveys,” Kartik stated on Chatter.
Krishna played the first two Tests but was rather mediocre, taking six wickets at an average of 55.17 and going for runs at an economy rate of 5.34.
Sai Sudharsan was the performer of the day: Murali Karthik
Kartik said that Sai Sudharsan, who replaced the misfiring Karun Nair, proved to be best performer for India on Day 1. The 23-year-old showed a lot of grit and determination during his knock of 61 off 151 deliveries. He hit seven boundaries during his innings before getting dismissed in the final session by Ben Stokes.
“Sai Sudharsan was the performer of the day. The ball was acting up when he was on the field, batting. And batters always feel that they batted well, but they are still asked to sit out. A batter is always in a dilemma. So the way he batted deserves praise,” Karthik said.
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