
No Shubman Gill! Panesar Backs GT Batter To Be Next Superstar Of Indian Cricket
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Former England spinner Monty Panesar has backed Sai Sudharsan to become the next superstar of Indian cricket. Sudharsan was in red-hot form for GT in IPL 2025.
Former England spinner Monty Panesar has reserved big praise for 23-year-old left-handed batter B Sai Sudharsan and backed him to become the next superstar of Indian cricket. Sudharsan, who has earned his maiden India Test call-up for the upcoming five-match series against England starting June 20 in Leeds, was in red-hot form for Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2025. He played 15 matches for the Shubman Gill-led side as an opening batter and, with the help of one century and six fifties, amassed a total of 759 runs.
For his super show with the bat, Sudharsan won the Orange Cap in IPL 2025 and also bagged the Emerging Player of the Season award. The Tamil Nadu-based batter has played three ODIs and one T20I for Men in Blue so far, and he is now expected to play a big role for Shubman Gill & Co. in the upcoming five matches.
Ahead of Sudharsan's much-awaited Test debut, Panesar, who played 50 Tests for England from 2006 to 2013 and picked up 167 wickets, said that the left-handed batter is very aggressive and fearless and could be the next superstar.
'The one thing that I want this Indian team to do is carry on the legacy of Virat Kohli. The way he played Test cricket. I would like to see the young Indian team play like that," Panesar told InsideSport.
Sudharsan, who is likely to make his Test debut as a No. 3 batter, has 1957 runs to his name in 29 First Class matches played so far. He hammered a double century for Tamil Nadu against Delhi at Arun Jaitley Stadium in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season.
First Published:
June 09, 2025, 15:18 IST
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