Sai Sudharsan better than Karun Nair? Irfan Pathan rates India’s No. 3s after England Tests

Over 7000 runs were scored in the Anderson Tendulkar Trophy. This was just the second instance of over 7000 runs being scored in a series in Test history. Yet, somehow, whoever batted at number three for India couldn’t find success. Sai Sudharsan and Karun batted at the spot and averaged just 241.

Nair disappointing

Nair batted at two different positions but couldn’t find success there. By all accounts, he was India’s most disappointing batter. Sudharsan wasn’t far ahead, but this was his debut Test series, while Nair’s a veteran. That’s why Irfan Pathan has rated the former’s performance better than the latter’s.

“Karun Nair gets four out of ten. Why? He didn’t look particularly poor throughout the series. He kept getting starts consistently but managed only one half-century. He got plenty of opportunities. Cricket definitely gave him a second chance, but he couldn’t capitalise on it the way he should have. Especially in the Lord’s Test, he had a real chance to win the match for India but couldn’t do it.”

“Other than that, it often seemed like he was playing well, building up nicely, and then suddenly, he’d play a loose shot and get out. At the Oval, when the bouncer was used against him, he looked a bit shaken and seemed more unsettled and uncomfortable. So, he gets four points,” Irfan said on his YouTube channel.

Sudharsan’s ability shines

Pathan reckons that Sudharsan showed positive signs. While he didn’t say it, it seems like he wanted the youngster to continue batting at number three in India’s next Test series against the West Indies at home in October. Unlike Nair, Sudharsan often got good balls and even worked on his leg-side weakness, which Ben Stokes had exploited earlier.

“Sai Sudharsan gets five out of ten. He came across as a player who, with a bit of work on a few aspects, clearly has a lot of cricketing potential. He could have made better use of the opportunities he got, but wasn’t quite able to do so. However, I do believe that if he had played all the matches, things might have turned out differently, because it’s not that easy.”

“When you go overseas, you get a chance, your team loses, then you get dropped, and later you’re brought back. But as a player, he’ll definitely feel that if he gets regular opportunities going forward, he can achieve a lot. I’ve always liked left-handed batters at the top of the order, and even in the last match, when he got a chance, he scored a half-century and batted well. He has the ability to do well. That’s why he gets five out of ten,” he added.