Every young cricketer dreams of making the smooth jump from domestic hero to international star. For Sai Sudharsan, the leap has been anything but smooth. At just 23, he had already carved a reputation as one of India’s brightest batting prospects.
Sai Sudharsan's Orange Cap-winning IPL 2025 season, where he piled up 759 runs, only strengthened the belief that he was ready for the big stage. When he was drafted into India’s Test squad after the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, it felt like a natural succession plan. But Test cricket, as it often does, has revealed the gulf between promise and performance.
Struggles in the Spotlight
Sudharsan’s Test debut in England earlier this year offered glimpses of promise, but his returns, 140 runs in six innings and didn’t match the hype. Coming into the home series against West Indies, there was a sense of optimism. Playing at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, where he has often thrived in the IPL, looked like the perfect chance to silence his critics. Instead, he lasted only a handful of balls, dismissed for seven while attempting a poorly judged pull shot. The crowd was stunned, and questions over his temperament only grew louder.
What makes his struggles even more frustrating is the contrast with his performances outside the Test arena. Against Australia A, in two unofficial Tests, he looked in complete command, scoring 248 runs in three innings with an average above 80. Clearly, the talent is there, but under the glare of international cricket, the numbers flatten out.
Competition Breathing Down His Neck
The problem for Sudharsan is that India is never short on batting talent. Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, and Abhimanyu Easwaran are all waiting for their opportunity, and each of them has the record to justify a call-up. The selectors will be patient, but patience is not endless, especially with a tough tour of South Africa looming.
For Sudharsan, the equation is simple: turn potential into performance, and do it quickly. Test cricket rewards resilience and punishes hesitation. If he cannot produce runs in the current series, the selectors may have little choice but to hand the No.3 slot to someone else. The stage is still his, but the clock is ticking.
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