The Indian team would hope for a good performance in the five-match Test series against England that begins in August. After losing the World Test Championship final, the pressure has piled up on the Team India players to turn around their performance and get back to winning form.
Indian cricket team looked lacklustre in the WTC final against New Zealand as the batsmen failed to get going at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton. India were bowled out for 217 and 170 in both innings as the likes of Kohli, Pujara, Rahane, Rohit, and Pant couldn’t get past the 50-mark. It is expected that the team management might make some changes to the playing XI for the England series.
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Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar said that Karun Nair might have a chance to make it to the team in Test match cricket due to his ‘overall first-class numbers’.
“Vihari has been a good investment because of his fine contributions in the past. More recently, it was his solid effort in Sydney (2021) in drawing that Test. He is a very capable batsman but one player who is in queue for the middle order could be Karun Nair because of his Test match record and also his overall first-class numbers. Karun had one or two average Test matches and he was sidelined,” Bangar told Cricket.com.
{{/usCountry}}“Vihari has been a good investment because of his fine contributions in the past. More recently, it was his solid effort in Sydney (2021) in drawing that Test. He is a very capable batsman but one player who is in queue for the middle order could be Karun Nair because of his Test match record and also his overall first-class numbers. Karun had one or two average Test matches and he was sidelined,” Bangar told Cricket.com.
{{/usCountry}}Bangar also said that India vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane would want to have a ‘big series’ in England.
"Ajinkya has always performed when India has won a Test abroad but even he would like to have himself a big series (with complete dominance) something which has eluded him so far in his career. He has been a keen student, a very motivated player besides a thinker of the game. And, I hope in future he can score heavily in an entire series and things can get better from there for him,” Bangar concluded.