India vs England 4th Test : In the fourth match at Old Trafford Manchester, Indian cricket head coach Gautam Gambhir made a bold move by dropping Karun Nair and bringing in Anisul Kamboj, who is set to make his debut.
On one hand, Anisul Kamboj is set to make his debut, on the other hand, Karun Nair has been dropped from the team due to his poor performance. Sai Sudarshan has been included in place of Karun Nair and Shardul Thakur has been included in place of Nitish Kumar Reddy. Right-arm bowler Anisul Kamboj has been made his debut, who hails from Haryana, India. The 25-year-old youngster has been given the iconic India cap number 318, replacing Arshdeep. He has played 24 matches in Class A cricket and has taken 79 wickets and played 34 wickets at an average of 13.8 in the 2024/25 Ranji Trophy.
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Reason for omission | Poor run of scores: 131 runs in 6 innings at an average of ~21, with no significant contributions when needed. |
| Replacement | Sai Sudharsan, who had appeared earlier in the series, returned to the playing XI. |
| Public reaction | Debate among former cricketers and supporters about whether Nair deserved more backing by team leadership. Mohammad Kaif criticized captain Shubman Gill for dropping Nair too soon despite his efforts. |
Karun Nair is a good player, we think, but it doesn’t seem right to give a ten to someone who played badly in the third Test at Lord’s for the match India lost.Mohammed Kaif said he might deserve another chance.
Besides, Karun Nair could only score 131 runs in six innings at an average of 21.83, with a highest score of 40. He could not make much use of that fire in the Indian team after eight years.
