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India hopes to level the series in the fourth Test suffered yet another blow as promising all-rounder Nitish Reddy has been ruled out of the remainder of the England Test series due to a ligament injury, sources informed CricBlogger on Sunday evening.
Earlier, another pacer and hero of the second Test Akash Deep was ruled out of the forthcoming Test against England.
Nitish, who was initially left out of the playing XI for the first Test, made his way into the squad for the next two matches, showing glimpses of his potential. However, the injury setback has now forced the team management to look for alternatives as they juggle with a growing list of fitness concerns.
It has come to such a pass that the Indian team management is now seriously considering bringing in Shardul Thakur — despite the fact that he hasn’t enjoyed the full confidence of captain Shubman Gill for reasons that remain unclear. In fact, in one of the innings during the first Test, Shardul bowled just six overs out of the 100-plus overs India sent down, highlighting his peripheral role in the bowling attack.
With Nitish — who was being seen as the third pace option — now ruled out of the series, the team is being forced to revisit its balance. The focus may now shift towards strengthening the spin department. In that context, Kuldeep Yadav could come into the XI, not just as a replacement but as a genuine match-winner who adds variety to the attack and thrives on surfaces offering even a hint of turn.
However, another source close to the team indicated that India is leaning towards a more traditional pace-heavy attack, with Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj forming the core of the bowling unit. Given the forecast of overcast conditions in Manchester, the team management is wary of playing Kuldeep Yadav, fearing it could be too much of a gamble in seam-friendly conditions.
While Kuldeep offers the potential to turn the game on its head with his wrist spin, the nature of the pitch and weather might not justify taking that risk. In such a scenario, Shardul — despite limited usage in the first Test — could be given another opportunity, especially for the balance he provides with the bat lower down the order. Whether this conservative approach will pay off or backfire remains to be seen.
Food for thought!
With so many players injured, it is a great opportunity for other players to showcase their talent and create an impression
Somebody’s loss is another person’s gain on cricket.
Blessings and luck sometimes come in disguise . Irrespective of the combination of the 4th test due to injuries or balance India has to win this Test Match to be alive in the series and hopefully win it .India has been the better side overall but the results do not show that .Kuldeep has to perform too in case he is selected and for that matter even Shardul if he comes in and each of the players have to do so for Team India .The yardsticks have changed and each innings one is under scrutiny based on the situation and expectation .for Eg we have Jaiswal doing extremely well but can also be said extremely poor choice of shot selection under the circumstances of second innings / going up / being in form / etc etc .The most difficult choice is for Karun because ideally if he does not perform it would be difficult for him ever to come back so if that decision has been taken to play him then we got to back him to come good in the last two / next test match in my view .We do have the players and skills to overcome England in English conditions even though we are 2 1 down .In fact there will be fewer occasions for players and Team India to come back and win the series irrespective of their combination .
what Abhimanyu Easwaran is doing in the Squad then? if he is not competent enough or you are not playing him as a solid no 3 batter..what he is doing then? …
It’s a breather for Karun Nair or bring in Sarfaraz Khan as a replacement. We need a quality number 6 batter