“He is good enough to hold that spot” - Team India assistant coach backs under-performing Sai Sudharsan at No.3

Team India assistant coach defends Sai Sudharsan’s place at No.3 despite his poor form, saying the youngster is good enough to hold that position.

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Team India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate has backed the under-performing No.3 batter Sai Sudharsan, who managed to score only seven runs in the first Test against West Indies at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

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Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of the second Test, the assistant coach asserted that there are a lot of good players fighting for a Test spot, bringing out Karun Nair’s instance from the England tour.

“I think he’s under no illusion, and you can’t hide away from the fact that you do fight for a spot in this environment. You saw Karun Nair get four Test matches in England. There are a lot of good players about to get on the heels of whoever has possession of that spot,” Doeschate said in the pre-match press conference.

Furthermore, Ryan came out in support of Sudharsan to hold the No.3 spot and reckoned that the team management isn’t hitting the panic button anytime soon. After the conclusion of the West Indies Test series, India will later lock horns with South Africa at home in a two-match Test series in November 2025.

“And we just want him to go in there and just bat. We know he’s good enough and now he has to find a way of scoring runs and showing the rest of the country and the rest of the team that he’s good enough to hold that spot. But certainly, no panic or no worry. Particularly in a winning team, you can absorb that,” Doeschate added.

Notably, Sudharsan made his Test debut in the Anderson Tendulkar Trophy, and he managed to put up scores of 0, 30, 61, 0, 38, and 11 in six innings. With Karun Nair not part of the current Test set-up, Sudharsan is expected to get a longer rope at No.3 spot.

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