Gautam Gambhir reveals Sai Sudharsan’s batting position ahead of India vs Afghanistan one-off Test

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India head coach Gautam Gambhir addressed several key selection and team-composition issues ahead of the one-off Test against Afghanistan, scheduled to begin on June 6 in New Chandigarh. With India looking to build a stronger red-ball unit for the future, Gambhir spoke about the importance of backing young players and giving them a fair opportunity to establish themselves at the highest level.

The upcoming Test presents an opportunity for India to assess several emerging talents as they continue their preparations for a busy international calendar. While the match is not part of the ongoing World Test Championship cycle, the team management views it as an important step in shaping the squad for future assignments, including the challenging tour of Sri Lanka later this year.

One of the biggest talking points from Gambhir’s press conference was his strong backing of Sai Sudharsan, who enjoyed a sensational IPL 2026 campaign. The India head coach indicated that the left-handed batter is set to continue in the crucial No. 3 position in the Test setup and deserves a longer run in the side. Gambhir stressed that Sudharsan has not received enough opportunities to cement his place and warned against judging players based on a handful of matches.

“Sai Sudharsan has not got a fair chance. He played mostly in England and I believe he needs to get a fair chance. We can only pick 11 players and Sai isn’t in bad form. He scored 700 runs in IPL. If we judge Sai on the basis of 4-5 games, we will never be able to build something,” Gambhir told reporters ahead of the Afghanistan Test.

The comments suggest that Sudharsan is currently ahead of Devdutt Padikkal in India’s plans, with the management keen to invest in the talented left-hander for the long term.

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Gambhir also revealed that the Afghanistan Test will help India identify additional spin-bowling options ahead of their two-match Test series in Sri Lanka later this year. He confirmed that the team management plans to travel with four specialist spinners and will closely monitor the performances of the spin attack during the one-off Test. The competition for places includes promising left-arm spinners Harsh Dubey and Manav Suthar, both of whom have impressed in domestic cricket.

“Manav and Harsh are to a certain extent similar but different also in terms of release points. This match gives us a chance to determine our fourth spinner as we will take four spinners in Sri Lanka,” Gambhir said.

The India coach further emphasized the need for better preparation across formats and hinted that some regular ODI players could be given additional opportunities in Test cricket as the team looks to strengthen its red-ball depth. Gambhir also addressed the decision to remove Rishabh Pant as Test vice-captain, insisting that the wicketkeeper-batter continues to have the team’s full support. However, he added that international cricket demands a greater understanding of match situations and game awareness.

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