New Delhi, July 9 (IANS) Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has voiced his support for under-fire batter Karun Nair, urging the team management to give the seasoned domestic run machine at least one more opportunity in the ongoing Test series against England.

Nair, who was recalled to the Indian Test side after a prolific domestic season, has looked elegant at the crease but has failed to convert starts into big scores.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra reflected on Nair’s turbulent international journey and emphasised that his return deserves a fair run.

“I would say give Karun Nair one more chance for sure, because this is now Karun Nair’s final chance,” Chopra said. “He played earlier, scored a triple century, and then got dropped. It was slightly unfair at that time.”

After being dropped despite scoring a historic 303* in 2016, Nair struggled to find his way back into the Test setup. But a move to Vidarbha and a string of consistent performances brought him back into contention.

“He scored a lot of runs and returned to the team. He asked cricket to give him a second chance. He went to Vidarbha, and cricket gave him a second chance. However, at some stage, that story will also end, and this is the match,” Chopra warned.

In the second Test at Edgbaston, the Indian team made a bold move by dropping promising young batter Sai Sudharsan and promoting Nair to the crucial No. 3 spot. Despite showing glimpses of his quality, the 32-year-old couldn’t make it count.

“In the first two matches, we have seen glimpses that he can bat well, but he hasn’t scored too many runs,” Chopra noted.

Calling for a longer rope, Chopra advocated a more generous approach to evaluating comebacks. “I would say give him a minimum of one more Test match. Then it will be six innings. You can take a call after six innings,” he explained.

“When you are giving a chance to a player, on the side of giving one extra game than one fewer. Comebacks don’t happen easily. Give him enough chances to fail or succeed.”

Chopra also touched upon the other change made to India’s XI, which saw Nitish Kumar Reddy replace Shardul Thakur. While Reddy offers all-round value, Chopra felt he doesn’t bring the same bowling edge.

“Although Reddy can bowl and bat, he is not as effective a bowler as Shardul Thakur,” he said.

India head into the third Test at Lord’s with the series level at 1-1, scheduled to start from July 10 at Lord’s.

–IANS

hs/