It was to have been a routine Tuesday morning at The Oval, India’s cricketers trooping in for an optional training session in preparation for the final Test beginning on Thursday.
Most of the heroes of the Old Trafford escape-to-safety were understandably conspicuously absent. The only specialist batter who played in the fourth Test and who hit the nets two days out from the game was Sai Sudharsan, the left-hander who is also one of five batters India have used at the critical No. 3 position in their last nine Tests.
The ennui of a regular practice stint was rudely interrupted by a fracas involving Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir and over-protective head of ground staff Lee Fortis – no one can emerge a winner from public finger-wagging – but that seemed to make no impression on Sudharsan, the 23-year-old from Chennai on his first Test tour.
Before Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal, Shubman Gill and KL Rahul had briefly flirted with the one-down position during the five Tests in Australia. Between them, in nine innings, they had a highest of 31; India blooded Sudharsan in Leeds, dropped him after scores of 0 and 30 and replaced him with Karun Nair, playing his first series in eight years. After efforts of 31, 26, 40 and 14, Karun was dumped and Sudharsan brought back in Manchester. He responded with 61 in the first innings, India’s first half-century at No. 3 in 15 innings, but was dismissed first ball in the second, caught off Chris Woakes in the first over with India starting at a 31-run deficit. Clearly, the one-drop position has been a problem child for a while now, especially overseas.
Sudharsan looked the part in the two knocks where he got past zero, though a first-class average of 38.64 suggests he has plenty of work ahead of him if he is to make the pivotal slot his own. Identified as one for the future, he has the backing of the team management – it helps that he has struck up a very successful opening combine with Test skipper Gill at Gujarat Titans – and is considered a long-term investment. His work ethic is admirable; he hardly misses a practice session, even an optional one and is always looking for advice and tips on how to keep becoming better every day. If there is reward for persistence, commitment and sincerity, then Sudharsan is due a big score.
Shitanshu Kotak, the Indian batting coach, refused to read too much into the lack of individual contributions, choosing to focus instead on partnership batting. “In the top three, there are six partnerships of 50-plus, and one partnership of 100-plus,” he said on Tuesday afternoon. “And in the latter half, there are six 100-plus and two 50-plus stands. The head coach`s view is that we should increase partnerships of 100-plus in the top three, which is very obvious. Hopefully, in this match, in the top three, we can see two big innings.”
If one of those comes from Sudharsan, it shouldn’t be a surprise. After all, he is putting in the hard yards, day after passing day.