Manchester: The Indian cricket team is facing a mounting injury crisis as they head into the crucial fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England, with captain Shubman Gill confirming multiple key players are ruled out. Haryana pacer Anshul Kamboj is now “very close” to making his Test debut, with a final decision between him and Prasidh Krishna expected on the day of the match.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, the eve of the Test, Shubman Gill revealed that fast bowler Akash Deep has been ruled out of the Manchester Test due to an injury. This adds to the team’s growing list of unavailable pacers, as left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh had already been ruled out after sustaining an impact injury to his left thumb while bowling in the nets. The BCCI Medical Team is currently monitoring Arshdeep’s progress.
Furthermore, all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy has also been ruled out of the remainder of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy due to a left knee injury.
“It’s never easy when there are a few injuries in the squad. Nitish Kumar Reddy is going to miss out on the series. Akash Deep is unavailable for the next match, so is Arshdeep, but we have enough good players in the team to pick up twenty wickets. That has been the most challenging aspect of the series. It is not ideal to have different bowlers, but I was prepared,” Gill stated.
Regarding the potential debutant, Gill expressed confidence in Anshul Kamboj. “We have seen Anshul enough. The kind of skillset he brings to the table is exactly what we want. We believe he can win us the match. We have the belief in our squad. We believe anyone who comes in the playing XI can win us the match. Anshul Kamboj is very close to making his debut. We will see between Prasidh and Anshul tomorrow,” he added.
In a significant boost for India, Shubman Gill confirmed that Rishabh Pant will don the wicketkeeping gloves. Pant had sustained a blow to his hand during the Lord’s Test while collecting a Jasprit Bumrah delivery, leading to Dhruv Jurel substituting as wicketkeeper for the remainder of that match. Despite the injury, Pant batted in both innings at Lord’s, even scoring 74 runs in the first. “Pant will keep wickets,” said Gill, allaying fears about his fitness behind the stumps.
Karun Nair Retains Gill’s Backing Amidst Scrutiny:
England currently leads the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2-1 after their 22-run victory in the Lord’s Test. While there has been considerable discussion around Karun Nair’s form after failing to make substantial contributions in the first three Tests, Shubman Gill has publicly backed the senior batter, who returned to the Test playing XI after an eight-year hiatus. Gill’s words strongly suggest that Nair will retain his place in the lineup.
“He didn’t bat at his number in the first game, and we have had conversations with him, and we are hopeful that he will turn it around. It is difficult when a player is making a comeback in such a series. I don’t think there’s any issue with his batting,” said Gill.
It’s worth noting that Karun Nair batted at No. 6 in the Headingley Test, while Sai Sudharsan played at No. 3. Sudharsan was subsequently dropped for the Edgbaston and Lord’s matches, which saw Nair move up the batting order. Across six innings in the series so far, Karun Nair has accumulated 131 runs with scores of 0, 20, 31, 26, 40, and 14.