India head coach Gautam Gambhir has supported Sai Sudharsan ahead of the one-off Test against Afghanistan, but will he live up to expectations?
Until a few days ago, he was playing in the Indian Premier League for Gujarat Titans where his team played the final on May 31. What are the odds of his doing well against Afghanistan, considering just a few days before, he was playing a totally different format, a format where one is not accustomed to letting the ball go peacefully to the wicketkeeper?
It’s definitely not an ideal scenario for Sudharsan. No matter how lesser a bowling unit is, it’s no easy task to face it in the morning at a time when the pitch invariably supports fast bowlers. Sudharsan had another fantastic IPL season, scoring in excess of 700 runs, but will that give him enough confidence ahead of this game? Probably, but it won’t be easy for him for sure.
Even though on the eve of the match, Gambhir has backed him, there is no guarantee that he will be looked at one more time in case of a failure at the New Chandigarh Stadium, hosting its first-ever Test.
“Honestly, Sai hasn’t got a fair chance. He has only played a handful of Test matches, and he started his Test career in England, which we all know is not the easiest place [to bat in]. He has had a phenomenal run in the IPL as well, and we have got to give him a fair chance,” Gambhir said.
Sudharsan made his Test debut last year in England. He featured in three games and got one fifty in six innings. Later in the year, against the West Indies, he got one fifty in three innings. He also featured in one Test against South Africa, and across two innings, he made 29 runs and fell to spinners in both.
Just 2 fifties in 11 innings is not a good advert for him. His technique didn’t look great either. It was understandable that he struggled in England, but not doing well at home in as many as three Tests is something that is going to bother a lot of people.
Could it be the last chance?
Against Afghanistan, Sudharsan should bat as if his life depended on it. Indian cricket has a tendency to back players who start well, which has not been the case with Sudharsan. Tomorrow, he should throw everything he has at his disposal; there are no guarantees for the future, especially if a batsman like Devdutt Padikkal is waiting in the wings.
There is no doubt Sudharsan will be under tremendous pressure. Twice in the IPL, he lost the grip of his bat and got out hit-wicket. Over the next few days – as long as the Test lasts – he has to ensure his bat is glued to his hands and that he gets a big innings. India may not bat twice in this match, which means the 24-year-old Tamil Nadu batsman, in all likelihood, has just one innings to keep himself in contention for future Test matches.