Every cricketer dreams of representing their country, but playing for the country in the longest format of the game is truly special. B Sai Sudharsan also dreamed of representing the nation in the longest format of the game, and his dream came true on June 20, as he became the 317th player to represent India in Test cricket. Having already featured in ODIs and T20Is, Sudharsan received his Test cap from none other than the veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara, making the moment even more unforgettable.
Sai Sudharsan received his Test cap from Cheteshwar Pujara
The special moment saw B Sai Sudharsan surrounded by his new teammates as Cheteshwar Pujara handed him the Baggy Blue cap ahead of the first Test between India and England at Headingley, Leeds. Sai Sudharsan is all set to play for the Men in Blue at No. 3, replacing Cheteshwar Pujara, who occupied the number three position for nearly a decade.
Pujara, who is hailed as the modern wall of the Indian cricket team, scored heavily playing in that position until his last Test match in June 2023 at The Oval.
Test Cap number 3⃣1⃣7⃣
Congratulations to Sai Sudharsan, who is all set to make his Test Debut 🙌
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/CuzAEnBkyu#TeamIndia | #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/wn8kaXdln6
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 20, 2025
It has to be noted that Sai Sudharsan has been added to the Indian squad following his remarkable performances in the Indian Premier League, where he amassed over 600 runs. Having played County Cricket before, the left-handed batter has some experience of the English pitch conditions. The Shubman Gill-led Indian cricket team would hope that Sai carries over his IPL form in the ongoing Test series as well.
Karun Nair and Shardul Thakur are back in India’s squad
Meanwhile, the England cricket team won the toss and opted to bowl first. The Indian cricket team decided to include Karun Nair after a long gap of eight years. Shardul Thakur was preferred over Nitish Kumar Reddy in the playing XI for the first Test match at Leeds. Speaking at the toss, Indian captain Shubman Gill said:
“Would’ve bowled first as well, might be a bit tough in the first session but it should be good to bat on later. Sun is out, should be a good batting deck for us. Preperation has been amazing, we played a practice game in Beckenham, lads are feeling great. Sai makes his debut, Karun comes in. Sai will bat at three,”
ENG vs IND, 1st Test – Playing XI Of Both The Teams
India Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Karun Nair, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
England (Playing XI): Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir
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