IND vs ENG Tests: India look a settled unit despite heartbreak at Lord's, trailing the series

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Karun Nair to get one more opportunity?

: India have suffered two heartbreaks on this tour. The first one, in the first Test in Headingley, led to sleepless nights and plenty of discussion about finding the right balance in the playing XI. After the Lord’s defeat, though, the Indian team looks more composed and settled.The next Test match in Manchester is still eight days away but don’t expect the Indian team to get desperate in its preparation.The team has been given a break for a couple of days before they have one solitary practice session at the Kent County ground here in Beckenham on Thursday. Preparations will only begin in earnest once the team reaches Manchester on Sunday.India captain Shubman Gill wore a straight face when he was asked if he believed he had a settled playing XI. “I would say I have a settled XII. And then you see which XI you would want to go for according to the situation and the wicket,” Gill said on Monday.Jasprit Bumrah’s availability in back-to-back matches is, however, in doubt. Bumrah opted to sit out of the Edgbaston Test but Gill and the team management have been clear about the alternative for Bumrah — Akash Deep came in at Edgbaston, picked up a 10-wicket haul and retained his place at Lord’s. Prasidh Krishna sat out when Bumrah returned.The management isn’t too concerned about Mohammed Siraj’s workload. Washington Sundar too has responded exceedingly well, lending solidity to the batting at No. 8 and picking up four wickets in the second innings at Lord’s.The two players who have struggled to cement their places are Karun Nair and Nitish Kumar Reddy. Nair has got off to starts and set good foundations up the order in the last two Tests while batting at No. 3. Reddy showed some fight with the bat in the last innings at Lord’s but his batting has been anything but convincing.His bowling has given the team crucial breakthroughs, though. As for Nair, one believes the team management could give him one more shot at scoring big in this series before deciding to move on.Before the win at Edgbaston, Gill had said he wanted enough bowling options and a longer batting lineup. It seems he has found the sweet spot. He was assertive when he said that he was proud of the effort his team had put in during the third Test.There must have been disappointment in that dressing room after Lord’s but there are unlikely to be any scars.

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