"You might want to look at Karun Nair at No. 3" - Former India keeper suggests changes for 2nd ENG vs IND 2025 Test

Former India stumper Deep Dasgupta reckons that Karun Nair should bat at No. 3 in the second Test against England in place of Sai Sudharsan. Admitting that dropping Sai Sudharsan after just one match would be a tough call, Dasgupta opined that Nair batting at No. 3 would give better flexibility to the batting.

India went down to England by five wickets in the first Test at Headingley in Leeds. Set to chase a challenging target of 371, the hosts got home courtesy of Ben Duckett (149), Zak Crawley (65) and Joe Root (53*), with Jamie Smith (44*) also chipping in with a handy contribution.

Looking ahead to the second Test, which will be played at Edgbaston in Birmingham from July 2 to July 6, Dasgupta backed left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav to find a place in the playing XI. In a video shared on ESPNcricinfo, he commented:

"Obviously, you don't want to make too many changes after the first game. But, this is a very young side, so you've got to get the combination right. Birmingham is usually a batting-friendly venue. I would love to see Kuldeep there. The advantage of having a top five among runs is you're not too worried about contributions from your No. 8 with the bat."

The 48-year-old also suggested that India could look at moving Nair up the order. Dasgupta pointed out that the cricketer has plenty of experience of batting at the one-down position and elaborated:

"Karun Nair has got most of his runs in first-class cricket and all at No. 3. Also, he batted for India A against Lions at No. 3. So you might want to look at Karun Nair at No. 3. That opens up a scape for someone like Nitish [Reddy] at No. 6 who, if required, can give you a few overs of seam-up."

On the possibility of Sai Sudharsan being left out after being handed his Test debut at Leeds, Dasgupta stated that an honest conversation can be had with the youngster. The former India keeper stated:

"Sai, I will have chat with him and say, this is not a reflection of what happened in the first Test, but a combination thing. So, that conversation becomes very important - how you put it across."

While Nair registered scores of 0 & 20 in his comeback Test in Leeds, Sudharsan was out for 0 & 30 on debut.

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Shardul Thakur's place under scanner ahead of 2nd ENG vs IND 2025 Test

India went with an extra pace bowling option in all-rounder Shardul Thakur for the opening Test against England in Leeds. The 33-year-old, however, failed to make much of an impact. He bowled only six overs in the first innings and went wicketless, conceding 38 runs.

The right-arm pacer did a much better job in the second innings, dismissing Duckett and Harry Brook off consecutive deliveries. Thakur, however, failed with the bat and was dismissed for single-figure scores in both innings. A number of experts reckon that Kuldeep must replace Thakur for the second Test.