Sai Sudharsan's is making his Test debut in the first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds on Friday, June 20, joining a select group of Indian greats including Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid and Virat Kohli, who also earned their maiden Test caps on the same date.
The 21-year-old is India's 317th Test cricketer and recieved his cap from another batting great, Cheteshwar Pujara, who handled the No 3 position for India for a decade. Sudharsan is expected to take up that position in a reshuffled batting order, with Shubman Gill moving to No. 4 and Rishabh Pant slotting in at No. 5.
The top-order batter already has three ODI caps and one T20I cap to his name, and his Test debut today completes the set.
Sudharsan has been a prolific run-scorer in the shorter formats, winning the Orange Cap in IPL 2025. However, he averages just under 40 in first-class cricket.
Hailing from Tamil Nadu, Sudharsan came into prominence during the 2021 Tamil Nadu Premier League, finishing as the second-highest run-scorer. He made his Ranji Trophy debut the following year and has since accumulated 1,957 runs in 29 first-class matches at an average of 39.93, including seven centuries.
Sudharsan saw a major setback in 2019, when he was snubbed from Tamil Nadu's Under-19 team. He was not the fittest of the athletes and, acknowledging that, channeled his disappointment into working towards becoming a fitter, stronger player.
Early the following year, he began training with his mother, a strength and conditioning coach who had represented Tamil Nadu in volleyball. His father, R Bharadwaj is a former track athlete who represented India at the South Asian Games in Dhaka in 1993 and played a key role in his development.
While his red ball numbers might not be the best, his recent form has been impossible to overlook. Sudharsan enjoyed a prolific IPL 2025 campaign, scoring 759 runs at a strike rate of 156.17 for Gujarat Titans. the highest run tally of the season. His County stint with Surrey across the 2023 and 2024 seasons also gave him valuable experience in English conditions.
The 21-year-old is India's 317th Test cricketer and recieved his cap from another batting great, Cheteshwar Pujara, who handled the No 3 position for India for a decade. Sudharsan is expected to take up that position in a reshuffled batting order, with Shubman Gill moving to No. 4 and Rishabh Pant slotting in at No. 5.
The top-order batter already has three ODI caps and one T20I cap to his name, and his Test debut today completes the set.
Sudharsan has been a prolific run-scorer in the shorter formats, winning the Orange Cap in IPL 2025. However, he averages just under 40 in first-class cricket.
Hailing from Tamil Nadu, Sudharsan came into prominence during the 2021 Tamil Nadu Premier League, finishing as the second-highest run-scorer. He made his Ranji Trophy debut the following year and has since accumulated 1,957 runs in 29 first-class matches at an average of 39.93, including seven centuries.
Sudharsan saw a major setback in 2019, when he was snubbed from Tamil Nadu's Under-19 team. He was not the fittest of the athletes and, acknowledging that, channeled his disappointment into working towards becoming a fitter, stronger player.
Early the following year, he began training with his mother, a strength and conditioning coach who had represented Tamil Nadu in volleyball. His father, R Bharadwaj is a former track athlete who represented India at the South Asian Games in Dhaka in 1993 and played a key role in his development.
While his red ball numbers might not be the best, his recent form has been impossible to overlook. Sudharsan enjoyed a prolific IPL 2025 campaign, scoring 759 runs at a strike rate of 156.17 for Gujarat Titans. the highest run tally of the season. His County stint with Surrey across the 2023 and 2024 seasons also gave him valuable experience in English conditions.
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