“When India loses, they panic” - Ex-Indian cricketer on India’s pattern on England tour

Former Indian cricketer and analyst Mohammad Kaif has advised the Indian team management to back the No.3 batter Karun Nair in the playing XI for the Manchester Test, starting on Wednesday, July 23.

Nair could score only 131 runs from six innings, with his scores reading 0, 20, 31, 26, 40, and 14 in the ongoing England tour. Though Nair got good enough starts in most of the games, he couldn’t convert them into bigger knocks.

"One thing I've noticed - when India lose, they panic. When they win, they stick with the same XI. After losing the first Test, they made 2-3 changes. But after winning in Birmingham, only (Jasprit) Bumrah came in - no other changes. That's been the pattern," Kaif told IANS.

"Even after losing the third Test, I believe they should back the same team going into Manchester. Karun Nair has been getting starts - 30s and 40s - but not converting. Still, he deserves another opportunity. This is a test for both Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir. After a close loss, will they panic and make changes? Or will they trust the players?" he added.

India lost the opening Test to England by 5 wickets. The Shubman Gill-led side then went on to win the second game by 336 runs. The third Test was a neck-and-neck contest which the Ben Stokes and Co. won by a narrow margin of 22 runs.

While India started the opening Test with a five-wicket loss in Leeds, they later made a strong comeback with a 336-run win in Birmingham to level the series. Later, they suffered a 22-run narrow loss at Lord’s to trail the series by 1-2 with two more games to go.

"India dominated for 12-13 out of the last 15 days. They played solid cricket - both with the bat and the ball. When this team landed in England, most people predicted a 0-4 or 1-4 defeat, but they've surprised everyone," he stated.

"Without Kohli, Rohit, Shami, and Ashwin, this young team stood up and delivered. They lost two close matches - Headingley was in India's grasp, and so was the final Test while chasing 193. Shubman Gill has led from the front - as captain and as a batsman. There were doubts about his ability to perform in English conditions, but he answered with the bat. With a bit of luck, India could've won all three Tests," he concluded.

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