Sai Sudharsan gets another shot at solving his Test cricket puzzle

After another successful campaign in the Indian Premier League 2026 (IPL 2026), Sai Sudharsan returns to red-ball cricket to prove his worth in whites. The IPL 2026 saw Sudharsan have his second successive 700-run season as he even adapted to the modern-day demands of T20 cricket, scoring at his best-ever strike rate in a single IPL season (157.98).

While Sudharsan continues to flourish in the T20 extravaganza season after season, he has failed to repay the faith of the Indian team management in Test cricket. The 24-year-old is hailed as one of the brightest talents in the country, but has failed to live up to his reputation in the purest format of the game.

In the six matches played in his career so far, the southpaw has scored 302 runs at an average of 27.45 with two fifties to his name. Despite his poor record, he has the backing of head coach Gautam Gambhir, who confirmed that he will again bat at number three in the upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan.

"Sai Sudharsan hasn’t got a fair chance. He played in England. We will give him a longer rope. We can (only) pick 11 (players), and Sai isn't in bad form. He scored 700 runs in IPL. If we judge Sai on basis of 4-5 games, we will never be able to build something," said Gambhir in the pre-match press conference.

A selection under question

Sudharsan’s inclusion in the playing XI in England drew massive criticism as he was preferred in the team over Abhimanyu Easwaran, who earned his place in the squad after a prolific run in Indian domestic cricket. However, he failed to justify his selection with just one half-century across six innings on the tour.

Upon his return to India, the 24-year-old showed some promise, scoring 87 and 39 in the two innings during the second Test against West Indies in Delhi. However, another failure in Guwahati against South Africa meant that Sudharsan’s place in the Test team remained under scrutiny.

Growing challenge from Padikkal

Heading into the Afghanistan Test, the runs from his willow will only grab more eyeballs as he’s again set to pip Devdutt Padikkal, another prolific scorer in domestic cricket. While the Karnataka batter also hasn’t left a major mark with his performances in Tests, scoring 90 runs from three innings, he’s been on a roll in domestic cricket.

Padikkal accumulated 543 runs from ten innings for Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 and has continuously made a strong case for being a regular in the Test team, only to get sporadic chances. As Padikkal continues his prolific run in domestic cricket, Sudharsan will be put on a tight rope, desperate to transform his Test career. 

The constant backing he receives from the management has become quite rare in the Indian team, given the cut-throat competition for every place. It’s about time Sudharsan converts the promise into performances or risk fading into oblivion and going back to the domestic grind to earn another chance at the highest level. While the one-off Test against Afghanistan might not be as crucial for the team, it could well become a career-defining moment for Sudharsan.