India National Cricket Team captain Shubman Gill has lost the respect as a leader in Mohammad Kaif’s eyes by dropping the struggling Karun Nair for the ongoing fourth Test against England at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester.

The former Indian batter took to his social media handle to criticize Shubman Gill’s decision to drop Karun Nair for the ongoing must-win game of the ongoing five-match Test series against England. The Indian cricket team left out Nair and brought in Sai Sudharsan for the Manchester Test.

Mohammed Kaif slams Shubman Gill for dropping Karun Nair

This move has raised questions about Gill’s leadership decisions. Notably, Nair had made a comeback to the Indian team after eight long years on the back of memorable performances in domestic cricket. However, the right-handed batter couldn’t make a big impact in the first three tests.

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Karun got good starts but failed to convert them into big scores, as he could manage only 131 runs at an average of 21.83, with his highest score being 40, in the first three tests in England so far. His scores in the ongoing Test series read 0, 20, 31, 26, 40, and 14 at a strike rate of 52.61.

As India looked to level the ongoing five-match Test series in Manchester after trailing 1-2, they made three changes. Along with Sai Sudharsan replacing Nair, Shardul Thakur and Anshul Kamboj were brought in for the injured Akash Deep and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Shubman Gill missed the chance to earn the respect: Mohammad Kaif

However, Kaif was not happy with Shubman Gill’s call, saying the Indian captain missed an opportunity to back a struggling player when it mattered the most and earn the respect.

He also noted that Gill had a chance to show leadership by supporting Nair, who deserved one more chance, as if Sai manages to score runs in the ongoing fourth Test, the Karnataka batter’s journey with India will be all but over.

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Mohammad Kaif posted, X: “Today was Shubman Gill’s chance to back Karun, who was down but deserved one more chance. He should have picked Karun Nair. Chance missed to earn the respect when it comes to making tough decisions as a leader.”

Today was Shubman Gill’s chance to back karun who was down but deserved one more chance. He should have picked Karun Nair. Chance missed to earn the respect when it comes to making tough decisions as a leader.

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) July 23, 2025

India lose 14 tosses in a row, aim for first win in Manchester

Meanwhile, India hasn’t had much luck with the toss lately. The last time the Men in Blue won a toss in any international match was back in January during a T20I against England in Rajkot. Since then, they’ve lost 14 tosses in a row, including in the ICC events as well.

Manchester’s Old Trafford has also been a tough venue for India. In nine Test matches played at the venue, India has never managed a win. On the other hand, England has been dominant in Manchester in recent years, winning 14 out of 20 tests since 2000, with just 2 losses and 4 draws.

So far in the ongoing five-match Test series, England has won all four tosses against India. Interestingly, no team has ever won a Test match at Old Trafford Cricket Ground after opting to bowl first, as out of 11 such matches, 3 were lost and 8 ended in draws.