"You need to make it count" - Former India all-rounder's huge take on Karun Nair's 40-run knock on Day 2 of ENG vs IND 2025 3rd Test

England v India - 3rd Rothesay Test Match: Day Two - Source: Getty
Karun Nair scored 40 off 62 balls in India’s first innings of the Lord’s Test (Source: Getty)

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan praised Karun Nair for his 40-run effort on Day 2 (Friday, July 11) of the third Test against England at Lord’s. However, he stressed the need for Nair to convert such starts into big innings before the criticism begins to grow.

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The 33-year-old returned to the Indian setup after eight years ahead of the ongoing England tour and has played in all three Tests so far, but has not yet scored a significant innings, with scores of 0, 20, 31, 26, and 40. Speaking in a video shared on his YouTube channel @officialIrfanPathan, the former cricketer said:

“Karun Nair looked good out there. He’s still searching for a half-century after that 300 — hasn’t had one since. He’s still looking for that big innings, but today’s 40-run knock was a good one, with several attractive shots. However, when cricket gives you such an opportunity — a comeback — you need to make it count and play a big innings. Otherwise, questions will inevitably be raised. That said, for now, the Indian team management will be quite pleased with his performance. They surely would’ve wanted him to convert it into a bigger score.”
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Pathan also praised England for their tactical approach in dismissing in-form Indian skipper Shubman Gill early. The 40-year-old explained that Gill usually counters seam and swing by batting outside the crease, but England responded by bringing the keeper up to the stumps for Chris Woakes, forcing Gill to stay back, which ultimately led to a crucial breakthrough.

Pathan said:

“The planning needs to be very meticulous — that’s extremely important. England’s planning was clearly visible when they got Shubman Gill out. Just look at Gill’s intercept point. In Birmingham, he was standing quite far ahead of the crease. So, the intercept point was very far forward. England got that changed. What did England do? Chris Woakes, who was still trying to find form and rhythm, was brought into the attack with the wicket keeper standing up to the stumps. As soon as the keeper came up, Gill — who was initially standing forward — moved all the way back. That changed his intercept point.”
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“Meaning: earlier he was cutting the swing early, which is how he had scored nearly 600 runs in just two matches — around 586 or so. But now, when you move back, the ball gets more time to travel and thus more time to swing or deviate. And that’s exactly what happened. Chris Woakes bowled the perfect delivery and dismissed Shubman Gill. Getting a top-class batter like Gill out with such solid and detailed planning — the entire England camp executed it with precision. It was truly meticulous,” he added.
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In reply to the hosts’ first-innings score of 387, India closed Day 2 at 145/3, with KL Rahul (53) and Rishabh Pant (19) holding fort at the crease. Skipper Shubman Gill, however, fell early after scoring just 16.


“How valuable he is to them” - Irfan Pathan lauds England seamer on his return to Test cricket

In the video, as mentioned above, Irfan Pathan also heaped praise on Jofra Archer, who made an immediate impact by dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal in his very first over on his return to Test cricket after four years. The 30-year-old bowled 10 overs on Day 2, finishing with figures of 1/22. Speaking about Archer’s comeback, Irfan said:

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“We have to talk about Jofra Archer’s bowling. He was bowling at around 145 km/h. In his very first over after returning from injury — and after four years — he took a wicket off his third delivery. He dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal with a defensive shot. You know, it wasn’t easy at all. It’s never simple for any player to make a comeback, but he did — and he did it brilliantly."
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"His spell tomorrow morning will also be crucial. But as a start, whatever nerves Jofra Archer may have had must now be completely gone. His celebration, and the way the entire England camp came out to hug him, showed not only that he is a very lovable character within the team, but also how valuable he is to them," he added.

In his 14th Test appearance, Archer has taken 43 wickets at an average of 30.83 and a strike rate of 62.0, including three five-wicket hauls to his name.

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Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer
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