Former England opener Nick Compton questioned India’s think tank for making regular changes to their batting order ahead of the fifth Test match against England. India hasn’t had a great run in the red-ball version in the last one year and Compton reckons consistent chop and change in the batting line-up, hasn’t helped the team.
India was beaten 0-3 at home by New Zealand whereas they suffered a 1-3 series loss against Australia in the Border-Gavaskar series while playing away.
In the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar series, India is trailing 1-2 against England after suffering losses at Leeds, Headingley and Lord’s.
Compton noted that KL Rahul was moved in the batting order on the tour of Australia. The former right-hander also highlighted that Shubman Gill has demoted himself to number four.
“Look at England. Root is always No. 4, the openers are settled. In India, Gill plays at No. 3, then someone else, then he comes back. It’s hard for players to find rhythm or confidence. Same with KL Rahul in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy – he was shuffled around a lot, and that’s bound to affect a player’s performance. I’m not making excuses – Rahul has underperformed at times,” Nick Compton told RevSportz.
Rahul has scored 511 runs in the four Test matches of the series against England at an impressive average of 63.88.
“But he’s clearly a talented player. Some players just mature later. I think he’s now beginning to figure out his Test game. And with players like Karun Nair, I felt India moved on too quickly. England wouldn’t have dropped someone like that as quickly. Sai Sudharsan is a promising player, no doubt. But again, consistency in selection builds trust and confidence.”
On the other hand, Compton reckons Kuldeep Yadav could be India’s wildcard in the series decider at the Oval.
“Kuldeep gives them variety. You’ve got Jadeja, then the left-arm wrist spin of Kuldeep. Even if England have mostly seen him in white-ball formats, red ball is different. Kuldeep could be that wildcard,” said Compton.
The fifth and final Test match between England and India will be played at the Kennington Oval, London, from 31st July onwards.
