What India nets revealed: Devdutt Padikkal eyeing Harsh Dubey or Manav Suthar to make Test debut first.

Devdutt Padikkal is likely to be India’s new No.3 TimesofIndia.com in Mullanpur: With temperatures nearing 40C and the afternoon sun beating down relentlessly, Team India underwent another intense training session in Mullanpur on Thursday ahead of the one-off Test against Afghanistan starting on Saturday.With the Indian Premier League (IPL) coming to an end just three days ago and eight of the 15 squad members involved in the final, the Indian team was looking right into the groove ahead of the red-ball challenge despite spending the last two months immersed in T20 cricket.ndia dominate white ball cricket but have gone through a difficult phase in test cricket especially at home. To their dismay, they have yet to settle for batting No. 3. With Ravindra Jadeja rested, another selection dilemma looms: which of the two 23-year-old left-arm spinners, Harsh Dubey or Manav Suthar, deserves a Test debut?

Question #3

Before hitting the nets, India’s slip cordon spent nearly half an hour catching practice at the stadium. Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal placed at first, second and fourth slip, Devdutt Padikkal dropped in at third slip and looked sharp.TimesofIndia.com understands that there has been a toss-up between Sai Sudharsan and Padikkal for the No.3 spot, a position that has become something of a revolving door in recent times. Since Cheteshwar Pujara’s retirement from the side, seven different cricketers have been tried at No.3.Sai batted at No. 3 in 11 Test innings, but his returns were modest. He averages 27.45 and has crossed the fifty-run mark only twice.Padikkal has played two Tests in between. His last appearance came in Perth during the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.The Karnataka captain was one of the standout performers in last year’s Ranji Trophy, amassing 532 runs in five matches at an average of 66.50, including a career-best 232 in the semi-final against Uttarakhand at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate admitted that not having a solid number 3 in Test cricket is a problem for Team India.“Look, there’s been a lot of change in that place and it’s not ideal,” he told reporters.“I think you have to look at the incumbents and stick with someone for that role. It’s a difficult position to bat in and very important as well. Dev is coming in with a mountain of runs in domestic cricket across formats, while Sudharsan has had an excellent IPL season with Gujarat. Both are in good form. Whoever is playing, I think needs to be given a bit of rope because we have another Test gimmick now. There are two Tests after that and then another break which we have to factor in.“The main thing is we want to make a decision and then trust that player to grow into that role, ideally quite quickly. Given where we are in the Test World Cup table, we don’t really have the luxury of a long bed. In hindsight, locking down the No.3 spot earlier is probably something we could have done better,” he added.If the slippage of the cordon was any indication, Padikkal may well nod ahead of Sai to claim the No. 3 slot.

Who will be Jadeja’s successor?

With Ravindra Jadeja rested for this Test, India’s search for a long-term successor seems to have begun.Both Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey are bidding to make their debut. The two 23-year-old players are left-armers, capable batsmen and proven performers in domestic cricket.Dubey shot into the limelight after taking 69 wickets during Vidarbha’s 2024-25 Ranji Trophy winning campaign. The Vidarbha all-rounder relies heavily on accuracy and control and has also scored nine half-centuries in first-class cricket.Suthar, meanwhile, has been on the selectors’ radar for quite some time now. The Rajasthani spinner, who hails from the border town of Sri Ganganagar, is a regular feature in India’s A squads.Suthar enjoyed a breakthrough domestic season in the 2022–23 season, picking up 90 wickets across formats. That season, Rajasthan was the leading wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy, taking 39 wickets in six matches. Before that, he took 14 wickets in seven under-25 ODIs and 37 wickets in the CK Nayudu Trophy.He is more than a handy left-arm spinner with the bat. He has a first-class century and six fifties under his belt.Ten Doeschate hinted that one of the two youngsters is likely to make his debut.“I would imagine Kuldeep (Yadav) and Washy (Washington Sundar) will play and then one of those two will play. The two new guys are also burning a bit,” he said.The No. 3 position and Jadeja’s replacement are among several unresolved questions in India’s playing XI. Team management seems to want to fix both issues sooner rather than later. Whether it’s Padikkal or Sudharsan at first-down and whether Dubey or Suthar get the nod at number three, the Afghanistan Test could mark the start of a new generation of India in two roles that demand attention.