Team India still have a week in hand to regather their thoughts and strategise a comeback in this Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, as the fourth Test in Manchester begins next Wednesday.

One doesn’t expect the team management to make wholesale changes in the XI, though, as India fought till the very end before their 22-run defeat at Lord’s on Monday.

However, captain Shubman Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir may need to take a call or two going into the penultimate Test of the series next week. Should they keep backing Karun Nair at No.3? Or, do they need to bring young Sai Sudharsan back in the XI?

Nair hasn’t really been able to make good use of the opportunities in his ‘second’ innings in cricket.

Since returning to the India fold for this tour of England, in six innings, the 33-year-old has tallied 131 runs at an average of 21.83, with 40 in the first innings of the just-concluded Lord’s Test being his highest score.

Despite being well set on at least two occasions in this series, Nair’s habit of poking outside the off-stump has been one of the main reasons that cost him his wicket.

The error in judgment against a nip-backer from Brydon Carse during the second innings at Lord’s also didn’t reflect well on his technique.

Nair was dropped from the Indian team even after his unbeaten 303 against England in December 2016 as he aggregated only 54 from his next four innings in the following year against Australia at home.

In that series eight years ago, Nair had his stumps dismantled by Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins in Bengaluru and Ranchi, respectively, on pitches that by no means were pace-friendly.

Surely, Nair himself also must have expected better figures in the current series, given his rich form of late in first-class cricket.

“Karun has been given his chances, and he also brings in value as a very good slip fielder. But a left-hander at the top of the order will provide value, while Sai Sudharsan is also good on the field.

“The stage has come where Karun will be under tremendous pressure,” former India opener WV Raman told The Telegraph on Tuesday.

“If Karun gets dropped from the next Test, it could well be the end of the road for him,” stated a BCCI official. “But it (team combination) also depends on (Rishabh) Pant’s fitness.”

Skipper Gill, during the post-match news conference on Sunday, had expressed confidence over Pant’s availability in the fourth Test. With still a week to go for the next game, the keeper-batter will get a sufficient amount of time to recover from his left index finger injury.

Even if Pant fails to be fit for Manchester, India might think of bringing in keeper Dhruv Jurel, who is also a decent batter. Nair may lose out that way too.

To talk of Sudharsan, the youngster played only in the first Test and deserves more chances before he is judged.

“Sudharsan is a lot more used to batting at No.3, so it’s a tight call for the team management. Besides, in a five-Test series, if somebody has got three matches, it’s a fair run. While Sudharsan, after one game, was dropped.

“You’ve got to invest in the future, especially when you’re repeatedly talking about transition,” Raman pointed out.