6 selection questions for Gambhir & Gill ft. Karun Nair’s spot and Nitish Reddy’s replacement

Being 1-2 down in an away Test series is bad enough. To make matters worse, two players are already out of the India vs England 4th Test. Nitish Kumar Reddy has been ruled out of the series with a left knee injury, while Arshdeep Singh needs 10 days to recover from a hand injury.

6 selection questions for Gambhir & Gill

The Indian management—captain Shubman Gill and head coach Shubman Gill—have some difficult decisions to make. Whether to drop a batter who’s out of form? Will a different wicketkeeper have to play? Who’ll replace Nitish Reddy? Is Akash Deep fit enough? Will the pitch assist spinners or fast bowlers?

Karun Nair out, Sai Sudharsan in?

After scoring just 131 runs in 6 innings, there are serious doubts over Karun Nair’s position. He’s gotten starts four times but failed to convert any of them, not even scoring a half-century. One has to wonder, will he be given another match? Also, we have often seen a collapse just after his wicket fell. Reports suggest that Nair will be dropped. This means Sai Sudharsan could return to the number three spot.

Forced replacement for Rishabh Pant?

There’s good news for Team India. Rishabh Pant has started wicketkeeping drills after 10 days. However, one still doesn’t know if he’ll be able to do so across two innings in Manchester. It may turn out that his injury has worsened. If Pant’s not at his best, Dhruv Jurel might be brought in. One thing that can be done is that Jurel plays at three as India’s wicketkeeper and then Pant plays as a batter at number five.

Who will replace Nitish Reddy?

Apart from Nitish Reddy, Shardul Thakur is the other pace-bowling all-rounder. So, that would be a like-for-like replacement. The other way to replace him is with a proper batter. Jurel can play there or Sudharsan, if Nair isn’t dropped. Playing Jurel has benefits since he can take the wicketkeeping load off Pant.

Is Akash Deep fit?

Akash Deep was thought to have a hip injury, but it turns out he’s got a groin issue. His teammate Mohammed Siraj stated that the medical team is looking after him. He didn’t confirm whether Akash will be available for Manchester or not. “Akash Deep has a groin issue; he bowled today (July 21) and now physios will see,” Siraj told reporters on July 21.

Kuldeep Yadav plus Jadeja & Sundar?

A few days ago, Michael Atherton shared that the pitch at Old Trafford will be slow. He suggests India should play Kuldeep Yadav, along with Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar. Given it’s uncertain that Akash Deep might play, a door can open for Kuldeep. He’s a natural wicket-taker and has troubled England in the past, albeit in India.

Will Anshul Kamboj make his Test debut?

Anshul Kamboj has been added as cover for Arshdeep. He had done well for India A and has impressed with his control. Given how Prasidh Krishna has been extremely wayward, Gill would want someone who can play second fiddle to Bumrah and Siraj. Kamboj can do that very well.