'Chance missed to earn the respect' - Former India player bashes Shubman Gill for benching Karun Nair in 4th Test

Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif expressed his dissatisfaction with captain Shubman Gill's decision to leave out Karun Nair in the fourth Test match against England. In his place, Sai Sudharsan was included in the playing XI. It hasn't been a pleasant series for Nair, who has scored just 131 runs in three matches, at an average of 21.83. 

However, the former cricketer had different views regarding the matter. With just two matches left in the series, Kaif was hoping for Gill to give Nair another chance before dropping him. Despite being a tough call, Kaif mentioned that Gill has lost respect for ignoring the senior batter. He took to his X account to express his opinions. 

"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 the opportunity to earn respect when it comes to making tough decisions as a leader,” he wrote.

India made two more changes in the playing XI, where Shardul Thakur replaced Nitish Reddy and Anshul Kamboj came in for the injured Akash Deep. Both players sustained injuries during the Lord's Test and were ruled out of the fourth match. Since it's a do-or-die game for India, having the best players in the squad was quite necessary. 

India take control in fourth Test match

Despite losing the toss for the fourth time in a row, Indian skipper Shubman Gill felt that it was a good toss to lose. He was confused about batting or bowling, keeping the weather conditions in mind. KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal formed an opening partnership of 94 runs. While Rahul was dismissed on 47 runs, Jaiswal departed on 58 runs. 

After losing three wickets, the Indian batters have finally found their rhythm. Sai Sudharsan and Rishabh Pant have formed a 72-run partnership, as we write. So far, India have scored 212 runs in 68 overs. Since this is the last session of the day, the batters will have to be extra careful not to throw away their wicket.