Whoever plays at No. 3 will be given a long rope, says ten Doeschate

The position of No. 3 in India’s Test team has been like a revolving door for the past couple of years. As many as seven players have batted there since January 2024.

India’s previous red-ball assignment against South Africa was an apt microcosm of the travails at that vital slot. On a raging turner at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, all-rounder Washington Sundar was unexpectedly moved up to No. 3. Once India suffered an ignominious defeat, Washington was promptly shunted down the order and Sai Sudharsan was brought back for the second Test in Guwahati.

The latter is in contention at one-drop for the Test against Afghanistan as well, but he is facing fierce competition from Devdutt Padikkal. The southpaw from Karnataka was in prolific touch during the recently-concluded domestic season.

While Padikkal did have a fruitful batting stint at practice on a sweltering Thursday afternoon, Sai Sudharsan was notably among the first lot of batters to head to the nets.

Probed on the instability at No. 3, India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate underlined the need to give one of these batters a fair chance.

“Look, there have been a lot of changes in that spot and that is not ideal,” ten Doeschate conceded. “I think you need to look at the incumbents for that role and maybe stick with someone. It is a difficult position to bat at. Devdutt comes in with a ton of runs in domestic cricket across all formats. Obviously, Sai has had a nice IPL with Gujarat Titans. Whoever plays will be given a long rope”.