Sai Sudharsan should get consistent opportunities now: Irfan Pathan

Indian young batter Sai Sudharsan, who made his Test debut against England in the Anderson Tendulkar Trophy, has received backing from the former Indian all-rounder and commentator, Irfan Pathan, ahead of the West Indies series.

Notably, Sudharsan has been retained for the forthcoming two-match Test series against the West Indies, which is scheduled to start on Thursday, October 2, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Irfan Pathan asserted that the Southpaw batter was on and off from the playing XI on the England tour, and he would be aiming to cement his spot at No.3 in the upcoming home series.

On the England tour, Sudharsan batted at No.3 and No.6 positions, scoring 140 runs from six innings, including two ducks and the highest score of 61 at an average of 23.33.

"Sai Sudharsan, the left-handed batsman, should get consistent opportunities now; in the England series, he was on and off, even though he showed his talent. Now looks like he’ll play more regularly, and he absolutely has the talent to be very, very successful," Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube channel.

Moreover, Irfan also observed that in Rishabh Pant’s absence, the selection committee, led by Ajit Agarkar, has gone ahead with Ravindra Jadeja as the new deputy for Shubman Gill. Additionally, he also felt Dhruv Jurel would get into the XI in Pant’s absence. 

"This will be Shubman Gill's second series as captain, and Ravindra Jadeja has been picked as vice-captain. That’s great, he truly deserves it. Jadeja has performed brilliantly and been a match-winner for India, especially in Test cricket. Since Rishabh Pant is not available due to injury, Jadeja as vice-captain is well deserved," he added.

"Since Rishabh Pant is unavailable, Jurel gets an opportunity. He’s a talented wicketkeeper-batsman, and this is a huge chance for him to prove himself, potentially even just as a batsman," he concluded.

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