Ajit Agarkar Reiterates On Biggest Reason Behind Selecting Sai Sudarshan For Indian Test Team And It Has Nothing To Do With IPL 2025

Sai Sudarshan has received his maiden Test call-up as the BCCI announced the India squad for the upcoming five-match series against England. Sudarshan, alongside new Test captain Shubman Gill, were already a part of the India A side, which is scheduled to play three first-class matches on English soil.

Sai Sudarshan Earns His Maiden Test Call-up

On the back of a strong domestic season and IPL 2025, Sudarshan's selection was not a surprise. The 23-year-old is regarded as one of the most talented left-handed batters and has been on the fringe of a test call-up. The youngster scored galore of runs in Ranji Trophy 2024-25 for Tamil Nadu and also had two successful County stints with Surrey in which he got accustomed to the Dukes ball. He is also leading the IPL run tally for Gujarat Titans with 638 runs and has been their batting mainstay this season.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar substantiates his claims that they have not picked Sudarshan only for his IPL performance and he has been in the reckoning for some time.

“When England Lions came he did well. We have not picked him because of IPL. He has showed the right away and seems to have the game to succeed at the top level.

“We have been looking at him for a while but there has never been any place in the team."

Alss Read: Ajit Agarkar Reveals Reason Behind Mohammed Shami's Snub From Team India's Squad For England Tour: 'I Don't Think He Is Fit Enough'

Also Read: 'He Can't Keep Up With The Standards He Set For Himself': Ajit Agarkar's BIG Reveal On Virat Kohli's Retirement From Test Cricket

Sai Sudarshan Will Have Big Shoes To Fill

Sudarshan has already made his ODI and T20I debut for the Indian team and is tipped to take the number. 3 position in the batting lineup. The southpaw has shown definitive maturity and has the potential to thrive in challenging conditions. He first played for Surrey in 2023 and then renewed his stay last year. He amassed 281 runs across eight innings, including a century in his last match. In a period when the Indian Test team is going through a transition period, Sudareshan has the opportunity to stamp his place in the side.

Indian Squad for the England Tour

Shubman Gill (captain), Rishabh Pant (wk and VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudarshan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav