Sai Sudharsan’s exclusion from India’s playing XI for the 2nd Test vs England sparked fan outrage. Many questioned dropping him after one match, despite his experience in English conditions and an impressive first-class record.
The young Indian batter Sai Sudharsan has been surprisingly dropped from the playing XI for the second Test of the five-match series against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Wednesday, July 2.
Team India has headed into the Edgbaston Test after suffering a five-wicket defeat to England in the series opener at Headingley in Leeds on June 24. Following the Headingley Test, India are currently trailing 0-1 in the series and were expected to make strategic changes in order to have the right balance for the conditions at Edgbaston and bounce back strongly in the series.
After uncertainty over Jasprit Bumrah’s participation in the Edgbaston Test, it has been confirmed by India skipper Shubman Gill that the pacer spearhead was rested due to workload management as well as keeping in mind the third Test, which will take place at iconic Lord’s on July 10.
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Sai Sudharsan dropped after 1 match
One of the biggest changes or the Edgbaston Test was the exclusion of Sai Sudharsan from the playing XI. The 22-year-old made his Test debut in the first Test against England at Headingley and received a cap from out-of-favour Indian batter Cheteshwar Pujara, who is currently commentating for the ongoing Test series.
However, Sai Sudharsan did not have an ideal start to his Test career as he was dismissed for a four-ball duck in the first innings before scoring 30 off 48 balls in the second innings. Sudharsan was picked in the playing XI, not just because of his brilliant form in the IPL 2025, but also because of his experience of playing in English conditions during his County stint with Surrey last season.
It was speculated that Sai Sudharsan would retain his place, while Karun Nair to be out. However, the selection changes have gone the other way, with Sudharsan getting dropped and Nair retaining his spot in the team. Sudharsan was replaced by left-arm spin all-rounder Washington Sundar, while Karun Nair was promoted to No.3 in the batting order.
Other changes made by India in their playing XI were bringing in Nitish Kumar Reddy by replacing Shardul Thakur, and Akash Deep was picked ahead of Arshdeep Singh as a replacement for Jasprit Bumrah in the team.
Despite moderate bowling in the Headingley Test, Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj have retained their places in the playing XI.
Fans furious with Gautam Gambhir and Team India management
After India skipper Shubman Gill announced the playing XI, fans were shocked to learn about the exclusion of Sai Sudharsan from the team after just one match at Headingley. The netizens could not resist questioning Team India management, led by Gautam Gambhir, for dropping the young Indian batter from their playing XI.
Taking to their X handles (formerly Twitter), fans feel that it was harsh on Sudharsan, who just started off his Test career, while others believe that team management should invest in someone like Sai Sudharsan by giving him a long run instead of backing a veteran player like Karun Nair.
Before making his Test debut for India against England in Headingley, Sai Sudharsan had played five matches for Surrey in the last season of the County Championship and amassed 281 runs, including a century and a fifty, at an average of 35.13.
Sudharsan has a good record in first-class cricket, amassing 1987 runs, including seven centuries and five fifties, at an average of 38.96 in 30 matches.
It remains to be seen whether Sai Sudharsan will get a chance again in the remaining matches of the ongoing England Test series.
