"I'd drop Nitish Reddy and perhaps one more player" - Former captain on India's playing 11 for ENG vs IND 2025 4th Test

Former cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar has suggested two changes in the Team India playing XI for the fourth Test at Old Trafford, beginning on Wednesday, July 23. He has backed the inclusion of the left-arm pair of Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav into the mix, at the expense of Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Washington Sundar.

Arshdeep Singh, who was called up to the red-ball side for the first time in his career, is awaiting his Test debut. In the series opener at Headingley, the team management preferred Prasidh Krishna as the third seamer to complement the pair of Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah.

In the second Test, with Bumrah being rested, the team chose to bring in Akash Deep into the playing XI. Given question marks over the workload of the pacers as they have some serious overs under their belt, coupled with the fact there is a week-long break for the fourth Test, it remains to be seen whether Arshdeep Singh will be in the mix or not.

Kuldeep Yadav, on the other hand, has missed out on the playing XI, even with India opting to play two spinners in the last two matches. The team management has preferred Washington Sundar for the death he provides to the batting.

Vengsarkar feels that India should go with an out-and-out bowling attack instead of relying on all-rounders.

"I would drop Nitish Reddy and perhaps one more player to make room for Arshdeep. I think Siraj and Bumrah should keep their places, but Reddy could make way. Kuldeep Yadav could also replace someone like Washington Sundar. You need five bowlers in a Test match to win it. If your six batters can’t put up a good total, the bowlers need to take responsibility. You can’t win a Test match with part-time bowlers," Vengsarkar said in an interview with RevSportz.

"I would pick Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav. Arshdeep is a good left-arm bowler who can move the ball in the air and off the wicket, which is crucial in English conditions. He can also reverse swing the ball, which is important. I have seen him bowl," he added.

Team India does not boast a formidable record at Old Trafford when it comes to red-ball cricket. They suffered a massive loss by an innings and 54 runs during their last trip to the venue in 2014.

"I’d give him one more Test match to prove himself" - Dilip Vengsarkar on Karun Nair's place in India XI ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 4th Test

Despite being 1-2 down in the series, Team India have had a lot of positives after taking England to the brink on multiple occasions. However, the returning Karun Nair does not emerge as one of those positives. The right-handed batter's place in the India playing XI is under threat after yet another set of unflattering scores at No.3.

"Karun Nair is a good player. He has shown promise but needs to convert those 30s and 40s into big scores. He’s an experienced player and knows what he has to do. I’d give him one more Test match to prove himself. He’s capable of scoring a hundred, and I hope he does in the next match," Vengsarkar said.

Karun Nair was promoted to No.3 in the batting order after Sai Sudharsan was dropped. The right-handed batter's first tour in eight years began with a duck at Headingley, and since then, he has scored 131 runs in five innings.