Sudharsan was called to the crease in a pressure situation, with India having just lost KL Rahul after a 91-run opening partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal
Sai Sudharsan (Pic: AFP)
Sai Sudharsan’s long-awaited Test debut ended in disappointment, as the young left-hander was dismissed for a duck in his maiden innings for India during the opening session of the first Test against England at Headingley in Leeds. The 23-year-old was undone by a faint edge down the leg side in the final over before lunch, marking a forgettable start to his red-ball international career.
Sudharsan was called to the crease in a pressure situation, with India having just lost KL Rahul after a 91-run opening partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal. The debutant was tasked with navigating a tricky six-minute phase before the interval.
Clearly eager to make an impression, Sudharsan showed visible nerves during his brief stay. His footwork was tentative, and there were a couple of jittery moments involving risky singles with Jaiswal. He tried to rotate the strike by playing the ball late, showing intent, but struggled to settle into any rhythm.
Facing just four deliveries, Sudharsan’s innings ended in the worst possible fashion. On the fourth ball of the final over before lunch, England captain Ben Stokes delivered an inswinger that started on leg stump and moved further away down the leg side. It was far from threatening, but in an attempt to glance it fine for his first runs, Sudharsan got the slightest of edges. Wicketkeeper Jamie Smith, also playing his debut Test, made no mistake behind the stumps, diving low to complete a clean catch.
The dismissal left Sudharsan visibly dejected as he walked back to the pavilion without scoring. His body language reflected the disappointment of a player who had worked hard for his opportunity but fell victim to both nerves and circumstance on the big stage.
The Tamil Nadu batter, who captured headlines by winning the Orange Cap in IPL 2025 for the Gujarat Titans, thus joined an unfortunate list of Indian players dismissed for a duck in their first Test innings. Notably, he became the first Indian since pacer Umesh Yadav in 2011 to register a duck on debut.
Brief scores: India 92/2 in 25.4 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 42 not out, KL Rahul 42; Brydon Carse 1/23, Ben Stokes 1/20) vs England
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
