![End of the road for Sudharsan? [Source: AFP Photo]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1753980245773_endoftheroadforSudharsan.jpg?type=mq)
End of the road for Sudharsan? [Source: AFP Photo]
Sai Sudharsan had a terrific Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, and when the Tamil Nadu batter was picked in the Test squad for the England tour, expectations were naturally high. However, so far, it has been a topsy-turvy ride, and now, after 5 innings in Tests, questions have been raised - is he the right choice for the number 3 spot?.
England is known to produce green tops, making life difficult for the visiting batters. However, barring the ongoing Oval Test match, the rest of the four matches have witnessed highways, with the surface assisting the batters. Hence, on such easy wickets, Sudharsan, with impeccable technique was expected to churn out runs for fun.
Sudharsan's stats in ongoing England tour?
| Criterion | Data |
| Innings | 5 |
| Runs | 129 |
| Average | 25.8 |
| 50s/100s | 1/0 |
(Sudharsan stats in England so far)
As the table suggests, he has played 5 innings so far, and has only racked up 129 runs, at an average of just 25.8. While his teammates have been scoring hundreds for fun, Sudharsan is yet to find his feet in red-ball cricket.
What has gone wrong with Sudharsan?
Sudharsan's recent performances in England have been more of a failure than a success. He has scored a solitary fifty in the series, but at the same time has registered two ducks. There is mental aspect, as well as technical glitch in Sudharsan's batting.
- His batting technique has been identified with a few potential weaknesses. One of his glaring weaknesses is against the moving ball. Often it has been observed that Sudharsan hardly moves his feet, and tries to poke at the ball with hard hands, which induces outside-edge.
- His front-foot plants down the crease while facing bowlers from wide of the crease, rather than angling it towards the off side. This forces his head to fall towards the off-side, thus he loses balance to play the shot.
- His stances is also rigid, and he doesn't get to the pitch of the ball, and such a stance makes it harder to play in swinging English conditions.
Do India have a better option that Sudharsan at number 3?
Interestingly, despite Sudharsan facing the heat, there is no solid replacement for him at that spot. There was Karun Nair in the race, but he was dropped from the fourth Test, and was made to bat at number 5 in the fifth Test match.
Plus, despite the southpaw's clear weaknesses, he has shown glimpses of patience in England. He faced 100-plus balls in the first innings of the fourth Test, and again countered 100-plus deliveries in the first innings of the ongoing match.
This innings was a bit tricky since England actually produced a green top, and batting was not an easy job. The numbers clearly say that Sudharsan has a lot of homework to be done, if he has to cement that number 3 spot, but India also has to realise that they do not have too many options, and have to back the youngster.
