Ind vs Eng: On the Toughest Pitch Yet, India Pin Hopes on Nearly Man Karun Nair

Cricket gave him a second chance. Now, can nearly man Karun Nair be India's showstopper for the second time?

India vs England, 5th Test, Day 1: Will Karun Nair deliver?

(Photo: BCCI)

Since the turn of the millennium, India have only ever accumulated north of 3000 runs in a Test series on two occasions. The first of them being against England in 2017, where they scored 3230 runs, as Virat Kohli could not stop scoring centuries. The second came in 2024 against Sri Lanka, where Yashasvi Jaiswal blossomed into a formidable Test cricketer, contributing to India’s 3,140-run tally.

Both feats, and everything else in the entirety of Indian cricket’s history, was wiped clean and surpassed on 31 July as Shubman Gill’s team have now accumulated 3393 runs in the ongoing five-match Test series against England. And yet, while the 2016–17 series ended in a commanding 4–0 victory and the Sri Lankan tour concluded at 4–1, India currently trail 1–2, with the fifth Test delicately poised — arguably tipping slightly towards England after Day 1.

The what-on-earth-happened post mortem can wait till the conclusion of the series. But the narrative thus far is undeniable: this has been an uncharacteristic series in every imaginable way. And now, as they seek salvation at The Oval, India may have to rely not on their headline stars, but on their nearly-men, who have so far operated in the margins.

Shubman Gill — Among Runs, Out of Luck

Shubman Gill has not done much wrong in this series. In fact, he has been phenomenal on what is his first assignment as the Indian Test captain. With 743 runs, he already has the most runs in an away Test series as the captain, and could soon have the distinction of scoring the most runs in a Test series for India.

Coaches often preach a simple maxim: control the controllables. Gill has done exactly that. But the uncontrollables? They’ve conspired against him.

Case in point being, he lost the toss once again. Despite his English counterpart being Ollie Pope for a change, who had not won a Test toss until this match either. India, cumulatively, across formats, have lost 15 tosses in a row. That is a 1 in 32,768 event, or simply, has a probability of 0.003%.

But this toss loss stung more than most for a couple of reasons. Having gauged that their bowling lacks teeth, on the back of a 250+ overs marathon in Manchester, England were provided with a green-top at the Oval. That, alone, could have helped the seamers more than it ever has in this series, but they were further aided by overcast conditions.

A Shaky Start

The first jolt came in the fourth over. Gus Atkinson, returning from injury, trapped Yashasvi Jaiswal on the pads in the fourth over. The on-field umpire was unmoved, but Pope — ironically, breaking his own review curse — got the decision overturned.

The Indian opener did score a half-century in the last Test itself, but considering the standards he has set for himself, the returns in both Lord’s and Manchester, and now for the first part at the Oval, was middling. Sunil Gavaskar is of the opinion that he needs to work on his technical drawbacks.

There’s a bit of uncertainty and maybe a lack of confidence creeping into Jaiswal's game. After scoring a hundred in the first Test, he hasn’t looked very fluent. That’s possibly why he's not getting his front foot far enough forward to smother this return. But he's a good player. I think if someone sits with him and works on a few technical aspects — like getting his front foot forward and not opening up his shoulder too much — it could help.

Sunil Gavaskar, on Sony Sports Network

KL Rahul dragged on a Chris Woakes delivery on to his stumps after scoring 14 runs, and at 38/2, India found themselves between a rock and a hard place.

Misjudgment, Yet Again

Gill and Sudharsan appeared to steady the ship, compiling a composed 45-run partnership. But then came the moment that typified the series’ script — misjudgment, precisely when India couldn’t afford one.

Only seven miles from where this game is being played, at the Lord’s, Mohammed Siraj perfectly middled a Shoaib Bashir delivery, and yet lost his wicket, not very long ago. Here, Gill offered an elegant defence to Atkinson, but wandered off for a run where there wasn’t any, and lost his wicket in the process.

Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate is of the opinion that the team can cut him some slack, considering his gargantuan returns.

Again today he made batting look really easy for the 40 minutes or whatever he was out there. But you know, these mistakes do happen. England actually bowled nicely in that little spell. And one of the things we did speak about in the breaks is how well we were accumulating because it didn't look easy to hit boundaries there. And I thought all the batters today accumulated really well around the stumps. I guess it's getting that balance right of trying to keep the pressure on the bowlers and the fielders, and taking the runs where you can. But that's a misjudgment of a run. And I think given what he's done in the first four tests, we'll let him get away with that one.

Ryan ten Doeschate

Over to You, Karun Nair

This is not the first occasion of Gill losing his wicket to a run out with Sudharsan being at the other end of the crease. Three months ago, he was dismissed in a similar manner during an Indian Premier League match between Gujarat Titans and Delhi Capitals.

Interestingly, the player whose direct hit resulted in his downfall on that particular occasion is whom Gill — and alongside him, all of India — will be pinning hopes on for a revival. Karun Nair.

Cricket did give Nair a second chance, but it would not be harsh to claim he is yet to justify his selection. In the three matches he has played in this series, Nair accumulated 131 runs. Yet, after almost nine years, he crossed the 40-run mark. That is, whilst having very little support, as an erratic Josh Tongue pulled a couple of jaffas out of absolutely nowhere to dismiss Sudharsan and Ravindra Jadeja, while Dhruv Jurel became Atkinson’s second victim.

England would ideally like to get India wrapped up within 250. For them to challenge for a win, and considering they will not be able to avail Jasprit Bumrah’s services, India will dearly love a first innings score of over 300.

The last time Nair scored over 40 was against England in December 2016. That was also when he scored an unbeaten 303.

Not that he will be asked to replicate it, but can he, for only the second time in his career, now that he is enjoying the second chance, register his second double-digit score for India?