'People are saying he would be dropped, but he has actually batted well.'
'I would dearly like to see him get all five matches. Then you decide whether he is good or not.'
Ravichandran Ashwin, a keen observer of the game, silenced Karun Nair's critics by declaring that the Vidarbha batter has done 'well' despite not managing a single half-century in the first three Tests in England.
The 33 year old has time and again thrown away bright starts to tally only 131 runs across six innings at a below-par average of 21.83, including four scores of above 20.
In the first Test at Headingley, he batted at No. 6 before the team was rejigged and he was accommodated at No. 3 in place of the young Sai Sudarshan, who was axed after just one outing. In the last two Tests, Karun was unable to provide the solidity associated with the crucial No. 3 slot, despite getting off to starts with scores of 31, 26, 40 and 14 on good batting wickets.
Karun forced his way into the Indian Test team after plundering tons of runs in domestic cricket. However, the second coming hasn't gone to script for the veteran right-hander. After a swashbuckling 204 for India A in the first unofficial Test against England Lions, he raised the expectations around him to new heights.
With India trailing 1-2 in the five-match series and facing a must-win fourth Test in Manchester, fans and former cricketers have questioned whether he should continue in the playing XI.
Ashwin believes Karun has looked 'in solid touch' and must be retained in the playing XI for the Manchester Test, starting on Wednesday.
"People are saying he would be dropped, but he has actually batted well. He has made elegant, poised and beautiful runs. He has looked in solid touch. It didn't feel like he was hurried or under pressure," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel Ash Ki Baat.
The manner of Karun's dismissal has been a source of backlash. At Lord's, he played a few bright strokes to score 40, but gave it away after edging Ben Stokes to Joe Root in the slips. In the second innings, Karun was offered no clemency for his error of judgement as he was trapped leg before wicket by Brydon Carse after offering no shot to an incoming delivery as India faltered in their pursuit of target of 193 for victory at Lord's.
Ashwin, who took 537 wickets in 106 Tests and made 3503 runs with six centuries, believes Karun is guilty of 'losing his concentration'.
"I have a feeling he is probably losing his concentration, or maybe that fear of failure in international cricket. In his mind, he will obviously want to score big runs."
Even though there have been calls for Sai Sudharsan's return to the No 3 spot, Ashwin hopes Karun is retained for the next two Tests and is judged after the end of the five-match series. He cited the example of former captain Virat Kohli, who was backed for India's tour of Australia in 2011 to support his case, who bounced back after failing in the first three Tests.
"I would dearly like to see him get all five matches. Then you decide whether he is good or not. If that is not the rule, then Sai should have played at number three. Give him the series. In Australia in 2011, Virat Kohli didn't score runs in the three Tests. In Perth, he scored 70 and scored a century in Adelaide. After that hundred, he never looked back," he added.
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