Gautam Gambhir Backs Sai Sudharsan for No. 3 Role Ahead of Afghanistan Test
Gautam Gambhir has finally ended the speculations around India's number three batsman in the Test format. He has backed Sai Sudharsan at this position, saying that he could be helpful to build the team's future. With Sudharsan at three, it remains to be seen who makes it to the playing XI.
For the Indian team, the major issue which has been prevalent in this transition phase is the number three issue. Ever since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, India has tried a number of batsmen at this spot but none of them worked well. Whether it was Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, or even Sai Sudharsan.
Now India will be playing a Test match after the whitewash against South Africa in October 2025. This will be a one off Test against Afghanistan at home, and it brings a chance for the Indian team to regain its form at home. There were speculations on who could step out to bat at number three, which have been answered by the Head Coach, Gautam Gambhir.
He has backed Sai Sudharsan for the same, and believes he could do well. Gautam Gambhir said, “We’ll give Sai Sudharsan a fair and long run. If we just judge a player after 4-5 innings, we wont be able to build a team.”
Our Take
Sai Sudharsan has shown his class in the shortest format of the game as he even did well in the Indian Premier League. But he is yet to do his best in the longest format of the game. Now since he has received the backing of the Indian Head Coach, it becomes his responsibility to do his best, and ensure that India gets a stable number three batsman after Cheteshwar Pujara.