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Cheteshwar Pujara Passes The Baton To Sai Sudharsan As New No 3 Debuts For India Vs ENG

Aakash Saini

Cheteshwar Pujara and Sai Sudharsan [Source: @SonySportsNetwk, @BCCI/x]Cheteshwar Pujara and Sai Sudharsan [Source: @SonySportsNetwk, @BCCI/x]

Sai Sudharsan made his Test debut for Team India at Headingley in Leeds for the series-opener against hosts England. Set to bat at number three for the Indian team in the post-Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli era, the captivating 23-year-old fittingly received his debut cap from none other than his predecessor, Cheteshwar Pujara.

Pujara, who held on to the number three position for India for over a decade, also delivered a seemingly inspirational speech to ignite a warm round of applause by Sudharsan’s teammates and coaching staff members.

From One Number Three To Another…

In a short video shared by the Sony Sports Network, also the official broadcaster of India’s away Test series against England, Cheteshwar Pujara can be seen delivering some words of wisdom for India’s rising star and new number three batter Sai Sudharsan. Pujara also handed Sudharsan his debut Test cap, as the latter became the 317th cricketer to represent Team India in the format.

Sudharsan graciously accepted his Team India cap as he smilingly soaked in all the applause from his teammates and coaching staff members in Leeds.

Sai Sudharsan was fast-tracked into the Indian team earlier this month by the BCCI selection committee, following the sudden retirements of Virat Kohli and previous captain Rohit Sharma. Sudharsan, a Tamil Nadu batting resolute and a rising domestic star, has tallied 1,957 first-class runs from 49 innings at an average of nearly 40.

Sai Sudharsan To Bat After Rahul, Jaiswal Combo

As per the team sheet, Sai Sudharsan will indeed debut at number three for Team India, and will bat after the opening combination of KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal. The two openers conjured a defiant 50-plus partnership around the first hour of play after England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and opted to field first.