Sai Sudharsan makes much-anticipated Test debut: Presenting his First-Class stats
What's the story
The much-awaited five-match Test series between England and India has kicked off at the iconic Headingley Stadium in Leeds.
Shubman Gill is leading a young Indian team, as stalwarts like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have retired from Test cricket.
Gill, at the toss, confirmed that his opening partner at Gujarat Titans, Sai Sudharsan, has been handed his maiden Test cap.
The southpaw will bat at number three. Here we decode his stats.
Player profile
Sudharsan picked ahead of Easwaran
Notably, Sudharsan was picked in the XI ahead of Abhimanyu Easwaran.
He had a stellar Indian Premier League 2025 season, scoring 759 runs for Gujarat Titans and winning the Orange Cap.
Despite a modest First-Class record, his technique, temperament, consistency, and strokeplay make him an attractive prospect.
The likes of Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, and Josh Tongue will challenge him.
Debut
Sudharsan receives maiden Test cap
Sudharsan was awarded his first-ever Test cap by Cheteshwar Pujara ahead of the game.
The moment was symbolic as he is set to bat at a position that Pujara once dominated.
The 23-year-old cricketer had earlier made his ODI debut during the 2023-24 South Africa tour and played one T20I under Shubman Gill's captaincy in Zimbabwe last year.
The Headingley game hence marks his fifth appearance for Team India.
Career highlights
A look at his First-Class stats
Sudharsan has a First-Class average of 39.93 with a top score of 213, as per ESPNcricinfo.
He will enter his 30th FC game with 1,957 runs at 39.93. The tally includes seven tons besides five fifties.
Notably, the youngster did not feature in any of the unofficial Tests debut England Lions and India A ahead of the series.
However, the team management has backed him.
Twitter Post
Here is BCCI's post!
Test Cap number 3⃣1⃣7⃣
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 20, 2025
Congratulations to Sai Sudharsan, who is all set to make his Test Debut 🙌
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/CuzAEnBkyu#TeamIndia | #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/wn8kaXdln6
Information
Do you know?
Sudharsan earned his maiden Test cap on Friday, June 20. Interestingly, several Indian greats including Sourav Ganguly (1996), Rahul Dravid (1996), and Virat Kohli (2011) also earned their maiden Test caps on the same date.
Nair
Return for Nair
The Headingley game also sees Karun Nair return to India's Test XI for the first time in nearly eight years.
Nair was a consistent run-scorer in the domestic circuit last season, scoring four centuries from nine Ranji Trophy games.
He has overall accumulated 8,470 runs from 116 FC matches at 49.82 (100s: 24, 50s: 36). This includes a recent double-hundred against England Lions.
Notably, Nair scored a historic Test triple-century against England, in 2016.