'Chance missed to earn the respect...' - Former India batter bashes Shubman Gill for dropping Karun Nair in ENG vs IND 4th Test

Mohammad Kaif was furious over Team India's choices for their playing XI for the 4th Test against England at Old Trafford, Manchester. The former cricketer blasted captain Shubman Gill for dropping Karun Nair from the line-up. For the do-or-die match, the Indian team management put Sai Sudharsan in place of Karun Nair.

Karun, who played in the last three matches, did not meet the expectations through his batting stats. After a splendid domestic season, Karun made his strides back into the Team India dressing room with high expectations. But, so far, his performance has remained underwhelming. He got his chance in the first three games of the tour, batted in 6 innings, but did not come close to his best. 

Karun Nair's run in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy so far:

Leeds Test: 0 and 20 runs.

Birmingham Test: 31 and 26 runs.

Lord's Test: 40 and 14 runs. 

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Nair came under the spotlight when he scored a triple century in the Whites. After that, his career graph gradually fell from the cliff. After years of waiting and relentless hard work in the domestic circuit, he finally got another chance to shine. But, under pressure, when Team India needed him the most in the ongoing tour, Nair's bat mostly remained cold. In the 4th Test, the batter was sent back to the reserve bench to make way for a young batter, Sai Sudharsan. 

According to Kaif, Shubman Gill, India's Test team captain, should support Karun in spite of excluding him from the XI. 

"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," the former international wrote this on his social media post.

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