3 min readJun 5, 2026 03:14 PM IST
First published on: Jun 5, 2026 at 03:14 PM IST
Sai Sudharsan will continue at No.3 in India’s one-off Test against Afghanistan and for the foreseeable future as well, with head coach Gautam Gambhir saying that the 24-year-old has not got a fair run in the position. Sudharsan has played six Tests thus far in which he has scored 302 runs at an average of 27.45 with two half-centuries. He is yet to score a century.
Three of those Test appearances came in India’s tour of England in which he had a top score of 61. In the five innings that he played in India against the West Indies and South Africa, Sudharsan returned scores of 7, 87, 39, 15 and 14. Gambhir said that Sudharsan deserved a longer rope, citing the fact that he also had a sensational season in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL).
“Sai Sudharsan has not got a fair chance. He has only played a handful of Test matches. And he started his Test career in England, which we all know is not the easiest place (for batsmen). He has had a phenomenal run in the IPL as well and we have got to give him a fair chance,” Gambhir told reporters on the eve of Day 1 of the one-off Test against Afghanistan in New Chandigarh.
Padikkal will have to wait
Sudharsan’s inclusion means that the wait for a longer run with the Indian team continues for Devdutt Padikkal. The 25-year-old has played just two Tests thus far, one at home and one away in Australia. He was in phenomenal form in the Ranji Trophy and was among the leading batsmen in the 2026 IPL as well. Padikkal scored 464 runs for RCB in 15 innings at a strike rate of 168.72. However, Gambhir reiterated that Sudharsan had a very good run in the IPL as well – the latter scored 722 runs at a strike rate of 157.98 in 17 innings, finishing as the third highest run scorer.
“We can (only) pick 11 (players) and some will have to wait for an opportunity,” said Gambhir. “Sai is not in bad form either. He scored, what, 700 runs in IPL. If judging players by just four or five matches is good enough then I feel we will never be able to build something.
“Hopefully (Padikkal) will get his time. Whenever his time comes we will give him a fair run as well. It is not about giving someone five Tests and someone else one Test. If we give someone a a fair run we will give the other guy an opportunity whenever it comes up. At the moment, we need to give Sai a fair run. He is a world class player and I am sure he will come good.”
Gambhir said that Sudharsan deserved a longer rope, citing the fact that he also had a sensational season in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL). (Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh) 
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