While a few Indian players stood out with their performances on the England tour, several failed to live up to expectations. Despite being backed by the team management, their lackluster showing may now put their place in the squad under scrutiny.
Among those who struggled were pacer Prasidh Krishna, middle-order batter Karun Nair—making a comeback after eight years—and young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Prasidh Krishna
29-year-old fast bowler Prasidh Krishna had a forgettable tour. He was part of the playing XI in the first two Tests.
In the first Test at Leeds, he managed to take 3 wickets for 128 runs in the first innings and 2 wickets for 92 in the second. However, in the second Test in Birmingham, he went wicketless in the first innings and claimed just one wicket for 39 in the second.
Across four innings in two matches, Krishna picked up only 6 wickets while conceding heavily—raising concerns about his consistency and economy.
Karun Nair
Karun Nair made a much-awaited return to Test cricket after eight years but failed to make an impact. He replaced Sai Sudharsan in the second Test and scored a duck in the first innings, followed by 20 runs in the second.
In the third Test at Birmingham, he scored 31 and 26 in the two innings. At Lord’s, he contributed 40 and 14 runs in the two innings. Dropped from the fourth Test, Nair ended the series with just 136 runs in six innings—far from the performance expected from a comeback candidate.
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal started the series on a high with a brilliant century in the first innings of the Leeds Test.
However, his form tapered off as the series progressed. He was dismissed for a duck in the second innings. In the second Test at Birmingham, he scored 87 and 28 runs respectively. At Lord’s, he made 13 and a duck.
In the Manchester Test, he scored 58 in the first innings but failed again in the second, going out for zero. In total, Jaiswal scored 291 runs in eight innings across four Tests—a decent number, but below expectations considering his talent and the starts he got.