Playing cricket for the country is special, but playing Tests – the game’s purest version – is even more special. On June 20, B Sai Sudharsan became the 317th player to represent India in Tests. Sudharsan, who has already played ODIs and T20Is for the Men in Blue, received his cap from none other than experienced Test hitter Cheteshwar Pujara.
Sai Sudharsan and his new teammates gathered around Pujara as he presented him with the Baggy Blue before of England’s first Test against India at Headingley in Leeds.
Sudharsan is set to bat at No. 3 in this game, a position where Pujara has scored a lot of runs before his last outing at The Oval in June 2023.
Right after the cap presentation ceremony, English captain Ben Stokes won the coin toss and ordered the tourists to bat first. Shubman Gill, India’s captain, stated that he would have preferred to bowl first as well, but he saw it as an opportunity for the youthful team to build a good score in the first innings. Gill revealed his GT opening partner Sudharsan will bat at No. 3, while Karun Nair, who is back in popularity, has also been called up.
“I would have bowled first as well; the first session may be tricky, but it should be fine to bat on later. The sun has come out, which should provide us with a decent hitting surface. Preparation has been fantastic; we played a practice game in Beckenham, and the boys are in good spirits. Karun joins Sai on his debut. At the toss, Gill announced that Sai would bat at number three.
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, on the other hand, had already announced their playing XI a few mornings before the game. Skipper Stokes summoned back seasoned Chris Woakes to lead the pace battery, which also included Brydon Carse, Jamie Overton, and Josh Tongue. Shoaib Bashir is the only spinner, and Jamie Smith is the wicketkeeper.
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
India
