IND vs ENG: 'A Nothing Ball' - Ravi Shastri Raises Questions Over Karun Nair, Pinpoints Turning Point of Lord's Test

The heartbreaking loss suffered by Shubman Gill and co. in the third India vs England Test came about thanks in large part to an unlucky dismissal to Mohammed Siraj, who before that had batted with grit and concentration and seemed likely to lead India to a very close victory at Lord's alongside Ravindra Jadeja. 

However, it was not to be and the visitors now stare at a 2-1 deficit heading into the last 2 Tests at Old Trafford and The Oval. 

And while bad luck can be pointed at for the Siraj dismissal, there were enough moments in the match where India could have done better. 

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Shastri Puts Spotlight on Karun Nair

Former India captain and head coach Ravi Shastri pointed out two major turning points of the match - Rishabh Pant's dismissal in the first innings, and Karun Nair's dismissal in the second. 

"The turning point for me in this Test match was, first of all, Rishabh Pant's dismissal (in the first innings). Having said that, again at 40/1 (in the second innings), I thought that was a huge lapse in concentration from Karun Nair to leave a straight ball, a nothing ball, to leave it and open the door for England," he said on The ICC Review podcast.

Pant has already scored 2 centuries on this tour so far and has largely cemented himself as a first-choice wicketkeeper-batsman, but the same cannot be said of Nair. 

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Nair to Be Dropped at Old Trafford?

His return to the Indian team for the England tour was in itself newsworthy, given it saw him get a Test cricket comeback after 8 years out in the wilderness. 

But there is a feeling that his run in the side might be over after his latest failure to register a decent score. 

His highest score of 40 came at the Lord's Test but he is the only top-order batter of the Indian team to have played all 3 Tests and not registered a single score above 50. 

Given India have Sai Sudharshan, a promising young middle-order batter, on the bench, it may well be time to see what he can do after he was dropped due to a poor showing in his debut Test at Headingley.