- By Sunny Daud
- Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:06 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
India head coach Gautam Gambhir has strongly hinted that Sai Sudharsan will take up the crucial No. 3 position in the upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Chandigarh.
India is looking for the Number Three Spot in Test
The No. 3 spot has remained a major talking point for Team India since Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket. Kohli’s exit triggered a reshuffle in the batting order, with Shubman Gill moving down to No. 4 after previously occupying the No. 3 role.
Since then, the team management has experimented with several players, including Devdutt Padikkal, Karun Nair and Washington Sundar, in search of a long-term solution. However, India are yet to find a dependable batter capable of filling the void left by Cheteshwar Pujara, who made the position his own for more than a decade.
Ahead of the Afghanistan Test, there was considerable debate over who would get the nod at No. 3, with Sai Sudharsan, Washington Sundar and Devdutt Padikkal all being discussed as potential candidates.
Sai to bat at number 3
However, Gambhir appeared to put an end to the speculation during his pre-match media interaction. The Indian head coach suggested that Sudharsan is likely to be given an extended run in the role, emphasising that the young batter deserves a fair opportunity to establish himself in the position.
"Sai Sudharsan deserves fair chance" said Gambhir ahead of 1st Test.
"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.