Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has put his weight behind under-fire Karun Nair to play the fourth Test match against England. Nair returned with scores of 40 and 14 in the third Test match as he once again could not deliver for the visitors. The 33-year-old has scored 131 runs in three Test matches against England in this series at an average of 21.83.
The right-hander has gotten off to numerous starts in the series but he hasn’t been able to convert them into substantial scores. Earlier, head coach Gautam Gambhir had said that they are going to give a long rope to Nair.
Nair batted at number six in the opening Test at Leeds, whereas he has been batting at one drop in the last two Test matches.
Harbhajan Singh said on his YouTube Channel, Yes, Karun has not scored runs, but if you gave him a chance, then persist with him for a while. All players deserve a fair chance. Karun deserves it now, and the likes of Shubman Gill and KL Rahul deserved it in the past.”
“So, the criteria should be the same for everyone. If others got five or sixes changes, then what crime has Karun committed? I feel that giving just one opportunity to Sai Sudharsan was not justified, but now that you have persisted with Karun till now, then play him here was well,” he added.
Meanwhile, India is trailing by 1-2 in the series but the Turbanator backed the team’s head coach Gautam Gambhir for doing a good job for the side.
“Gautam is doing very well as a coach, and he has been a very good player for Team India. This is his first big tour after Australia. It takes time for anyone to get into the role, and the team is also changing. A lot of things are happening very fast. If we say that the results have been like these after Gautam’s arrival, then it’s not right. Gautam is not the one to be blamed. He himself doesn’t play.”
Harbhajan said he is not interested in taking a coaching role with the national team, but he can be a mentor.
Harbhajan concluded, “I cannot do coaching, but I can be a mentor who talks to the team, gives pep talks, and thinks about how to take the team forward. If I can contribute even a little bit, then I am always available.”
The fourth Test match between England and India will be played at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester, from July 23 onwards.
