Aakash Chopra criticized the Indian team management’s decision not to give Sai Sudharsan a long rope and keep him for the Kolkata Test against South Africa. India called out strangely play four spinners in a matchmeaning Sudharsan left out and Axar Patel came. Sudharsan was first used as No. 3 during the England tour but was dropped after the first Test.
Once the Karun Nair experiment at No.3 failed, India reverted to Tamil Nadu and he played in place in the West Indies series. Sudharsan scored 87 during the match in Delhi, silencing the critics and showing signs of why he should be used in the position long-term.
IND vs SA first test day update
But the decision to drop Sudharsan didn’t go down well with Chopra, who questioned why he was in the first place in the squad if he won’t get a place in the Kolkata Test.
“If you don’t believe in Sai Sudharsan’s batting after what he did in Delhi, then why is he still in the squad? Why keep him in the team? It can’t be that just because you need fifteen players, you include him even if you don’t believe in him. That’s not how it works. So I don’t understand their thinking,” Chopra said.
NO.3 MUSICAL CHAIRS
Ever since Rahul Dravid and Cheteshwar Pujara reached No.3, India have struggled to find a suitable candidate for the position. While the current skipper Shubman Gill has seen success, he has decided to take the No.4 spot after Virat Kohli’s departure.
Chopra feels that this trend of musical chairs with the spot cannot continue and the team management needs to start preparing the players for the future.
“Let me play devil’s advocate – there were three spinners, two fast bowlers and we didn’t win the West Indies for the second time. And it was a flat pitch; maybe they felt they wouldn’t bowl them, so they wanted one more bowler. I don’t think the decision had anything to do with the batting. If Axar Washington makes enough runs to win Sachar Washington’s batting, they score, they score you. post. That happens.”
“When a team wins, that becomes one part of cricket – but the other part is preparing the players and leading them forward. And Sai Sudharsan did, he scored and still fell. It’s true – if you’re not in the playing XI, it doesn’t mean you suddenly become a useless player. India have a chance to prepare their players. The No. 3 spot cannot become a game of Rahutesh, Dravidwar musical chairs.” now to identify the right guy, then what Karun Nair was there, you might see Abhimanya Easwaran next – and then Sai will not prepare at all,” said Chopra.
So far, Sudharsan has scored 273 runs from five matches at No.3 at an average of 30.33 and has scored two fifties.
– The end
Published on:
November 14, 2025
