File photo of Sai Sudarshan and Rishabh Pant.
| Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar
India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Friday (June 5, 2026) said Sai Sudharsan has not got a fair run at the No.3 slot and indicated that the left-hander will be preferred over Devdutt Padikkal in the Test format ahead of the one-off game against Afghanistan in Mullanpur.
Gambhir also stated that the team will prepare four spinners for the tour of Sri Lanka in August.
India will take on Afghanistan in a one-off Test starting in Mullanpur on Saturday (June 6, 2026)which is not a part of the current World Test Championship cycle, in which the home side is currently placed sixth.
“Sai Sudharsan has not got a fair chance. He played mostly in England and I believe he needs to get a fair chance,” Gambhir told the reporters in Mullanpur.
“We can (only) pick 11 (players) and Sai isn’t in bad form. He scored 700 runs in IPL. If we judge Sai on basis of 4-5 games we will never be able to build something,” he added.
With Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey are aiming for one spot as a left-arm spinner, Gambhir said India will need to prepare multiple spin bowling options for the two-Test series in Sri Lanka.
“Manav and Harsh are to a certain extent similar but different also in terms of release points. This match gives us a chance to determine our fourth spinner as we will take four spinners in Sri Lanka,” he said.
“We will need to prepare differently when we go to New Zealand. So, we will pull out a few ODI regulars who play Tests. We understand we need to prepare better for Tests,” Gambhir added.
Addressing Rishabh Pant’s removal as Test vice-captain, Gambhir said the batter has his backing but needs to read the game situation better.
“We don’t want Rishabh Pant to change but international cricket demands players to respect match situations,” Gambhir said.
Published – June 05, 2026 12:10 pm IST
