"If he plays another 30 or 40-run knock in the 2nd innings, you have to play him in the next Test" - Aakash Chopra on Karun Nair's knock in 3rd Test

Former India player Aakash Chopra has acknowledged that Karun Nair hasn't been able to make the most of his opportunities in the ongoing Test series against England. However, he opined that India's No. 3 batter can't be dropped for the next game if he plays a decent knock in the second innings of the third Test.

Nair was dismissed for a 62-ball 40 as India ended Day 2 (Friday, July 11) of the third Test at Lord's at 145/3 in their first innings. The visitors had bowled England out for 387 earlier in the day.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener reckoned that a 30-plus knock in the second innings should help Nair keep his place in the XI for the fourth Test, highlighting that the Vidarbha batter hasn't fared poorly.

"He has scored enough runs that you feel the guy shouldn't be dropped and should be given more opportunities because he is looking okay. He is not looking great, but he is not looking very poor either. Another thing is about luck as they have held very good catches of his, whether it was the Ollie Pope one or this Joe Root one," Chopra said (11:00).

"However, the truth is that he hasn't been able to make the most of his opportunities, but it's also true that he has remained in the game. You won't drop him. If he plays another 30 or 40-run knock in the second innings, you have to play him in the next Test. It's as simple as that," he added.

However, citing his own example, Aakash Chopra noted that thirties and forties can help a player stay in the team for a short while only, before he is shown the way out. He added that Karun Nair needs to convert his starts into eighties, nineties, or hundreds.

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"We need to go beyond 387" - Aakash Chopra on the state of ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test

India trail England by 242 runs heading into Day 3 of the Lord's Test. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra opined that India need to overhaul England's first-innings score.

"We are 242 runs behind for sure, but it's been a very slow-moving match. I am still wondering whether the pitch is difficult for batting or the batters are batting with a different approach, because both England and India have moved at a slow pace. The pitch has gotten a little faster. I feel we need to go beyond 387," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the visitors need to bat as long as possible in their first innings, highlighting that the pitch might become more difficult for batting as the game progresses.

"If we concede a lead, it should be small. You want to bat long now because when you have to bat last, it's important that, when you bat second, you bat a lot bigger and a lot longer. Generally, runs per innings keep reducing, although the most runs were scored in the WTC final in the final innings at this ground. This does not look like that pitch," Chopra observed.

To conclude, Aakash Chopra noted that India need to make the most of the batting depth they opted for. He highlighted that Washington Sundar has played the Lord's Test and the previous game purely as a batter, and Ravindra Jadeja hasn't contributed much with the ball either.