Sai Sudharsan Joins Unwanted List: Indian Players To Score Duck On Test Debut
Sai Sudharsan’s highly anticipated Test debut took an unfortunate turn as the young left-hander registered a duck in the opening match of the five-Test series against England at Headingley. With much hype surrounding his selection—particularly because of his IPL exploits and potential rather than first-class statistics—Sudharsan was expected to shine. But instead, he joined an unwanted list of Indian cricketers who were dismissed for zero in their debut Test innings.
A Nightmare Start at Headingley
The Tamil Nadu batter received his maiden Test cap from veteran Cheteshwar Pujara, and fans expected him to make an early impact. Coming in at number 3 after the dismissal of KL Rahul, Sudharsan looked calm but couldn’t withstand the pressure. On just the fourth ball he faced, Ben Stokes bowled one on the leg side that flicked his bat and landed safely in the gloves of the English keeper. It was a soft dismissal and a disappointing end to what was supposed to be a dream debut.
Indian Batters Dismissed for Duck on Test Debut (Faced ≤ 6 Balls)
| Player | Balls Faced |
|---|---|
| R Ashwin | 6 |
| Hanuma Vihari | 6 |
| Rahul Sanghvi | 6 |
| Sai Sudharsan | 4 |
| Vijay Bharadwaj | 4 |
| Sairaj Bahutule | 3 |
| Jamshed Irani | 3 |
| CR Rangachari | 3 |
| Maninder Singh | 3 |
| Vivek Razdan | 3 |
| Wriddhiman Saha | 3 |
| Harbhajan Singh | 2 |
| Praveen Kumar | 2 |
| Khanderao Rangnekar | 2 |
| Robin Singh | 2 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 1 |
| Manohar Hardikar | 1 |
| Gogumal Kishenchand Harisinghani | 1 |
| Bharath Reddy | 1 |
| Umesh Yadav | 1 |
While the list includes some prominent names like R Ashwin, Wriddhiman Saha, and Jasprit Bumrah, Sudharsan’s name being added will sting, especially given the intense competition for batting spots.
Turning Point in the Match
India were cruising at 91/0 when things began to unravel. First, KL Rahul fell for 42, and then Sai Sudharsan’s early exit in the same over tilted the momentum in England’s favor. From 91/0 to 92/2, the visitors suddenly found themselves under pressure. Heading into lunch, England had reclaimed control, and the stage was set for a fierce post-lunch session.
Final Thoughts
While it’s only his first outing, Sudharsan will need to mentally regroup and wait for another opportunity to prove his worth in red-ball cricket. Test cricket is unforgiving, but it’s also about comebacks—and Sudharsan’s journey is far from over.
