New Delhi, July 24 In the ongoing crucial fourth Test against England at Old Trafford, young left-handed batter B. Sai Sudharsan stepped up with a composed 61 - his maiden half-century in Test cricket- on the opening day of the fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy series in Manchester.
After making zero and 30 in his debut Test at Headingley, Sudharsan was drafted into the playing eleven at Old Trafford in place of Karun Nair, who managed just 131 runs in the first three matches.
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel, who worked closely with Sudharsan during his time as the assistant coach of Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, feels the Indian team is making a conscious shift toward backing Sudharsan at number three, a move he feels is justified.
“From the start of the series, obviously, India went on with Sai Sudharsan. But then the combination changed, and they tried to get an experienced player in Karun Nair, but unfortunately, after a very, very good couple of seasons in domestic cricket, he could not convert those starts into big, significant scores. So, now it looks like India wants to back a youngster, which is completely okay,” Patel, a JioHotstar expert, told IANS in a select virtual interaction on Thursday.
Since last year’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in Australia, India saw five batters stepping out at No.3, a spot held for a long time by Rahul Dravid and Cheteshwar Pujara. But with Sudharsan’s 61 being a promising display of holding one end on a pitch with variable bounce and sideways movement after overcoming a nervy start, he might have just assured India that he can be a reliable number three batter.
Patel also believes Sudharsan would be quietly dissatisfied about missing out on a bigger score on the opening day of the match. “See, when you (Nair) are making a comeback after eight years, you don't usually get so many chances, and I think it is just fair to see that Sai Sudharsan got an opportunity and he made sure that he got a fifty. But I am sure, knowing him, he would be slightly disappointed that he could not get that hundred.”
Nair’s exclusion means he now joins the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Abhimanyu Easwaran on the sidelines. Warming the bench, particularly on long overseas tours, is a tough space to be in. The absence of game time amidst fierce competition for places can be mentally taxing for both Kuldeep and Easwaran, who previously warmed the bench for the entire tour of Australia.
It is something Patel is all too familiar with – in his playing days, he had to bide his time while being in competition with the likes of Dinesh Karthik and Wriddhiman Saha for the second keeper’s slot behind MS Dhoni. Offering words of empathy and advice for both Kuldeep and Easwaran, Patel acknowledged the mental challenge such situations pose.
“It's not easy. It's definitely not easy to just not play and just get yourself ready. But as a player, sometimes when you find yourself in that situation, that's where your character gets tested. Kuldeep is experienced enough, while Abhimanyu has spent a lot of time in first-class cricket.”
“So, hopefully, they understand this situation, and that's where the role of the coaching staff comes into play. I know the Indian team is in very able hands. So, they are taking care of them. But from the player's point of view, yes, skill-wise, you have to be ready. But more than that, you have to be ready mentally whenever that opportunity comes in,” he concluded.
Catch the fourth Test of India’s tour of England from July 23-27 at 3:30 PM live on JioHotstar.
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