Sai Sudharsan’s much-anticipated Test debut for India ended in disappointment as the 23-year-old was dismissed for a duck in the opening Test against England at Headingley in Leeds on Friday, June 20. The youngster was included in the playing XI ahead of the experienced Karun Nair, who was slotted to bat at number six.
India got off to a strong start after electing to bat, with KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal putting together a solid opening partnership. However, just before lunch, Rahul was dismissed for 42, bringing debutant Sai to the crease.
Sudharsan, under pressure, looked uncomfortable from the outset. He nearly edged his very first delivery but survived. However, England captain Ben Stokes quickly applied pressure by targeting his pads in the following over. The ploy worked as Sudharsan attempted a flick shot but mistimed it, allowing wicketkeeper Jamie Smith to take a sharp diving catch.
With that, Sudharsan departed without scoring, becoming the first Indian batter in 15 years to register a duck on debut. The last recognised Indian batter to suffer the same fate was Wriddhiman Saha against South Africa in Nagpur. While R Ashwin and Umesh Yadav have also been dismissed for ducks on debut since then, they were not classified as specialist batters.
The early setback for Sudharsan will be a tough pill to swallow, especially with strong competition in India’s middle order.
