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'Gambhir era not holding back': India head coach slammed for dropping Sai Sudharsan after his debut match
Sai Sudharsan made his Test debut in the first match of the series. Image: AFP
The Indian team management, led by new head coach Gautam Gambhir, is facing criticism after dropping young batter Sai Sudharsan for the second Test against England at Edgbaston. Sudharsan, who made his debut in the first Test of the series, was left out after just one game, a move that hasn't gone down well with many fans.
Captain Shubman Gill announced three changes at the toss. Jasprit Bumrah was rested, while Shardul Thakur and Sudharsan were dropped. In their place, Akash Deep, Washington Sundar, and Nitish Kumar Reddy were brought in. While Bumrah's omission was explained as part of workload management, the decision to leave out Sudharsan came as a surprise.
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Gambhir slammed for dropping Sudharsan
The 23-year-old left-hander had a great IPL 2025 season, finishing as the tournament's top run-scorer. Many believed he had earned a longer run in the Test side. However, after just one opportunity, he has been left out of the playing XI. Fans expressed disappointment and anger on social media, questioning the Gambhir-led management's decision.
-Sai Sudharsan dropped for no reason
-Kuldeep is yet to get a game
Gambhir era not holding back 🥵 pic.twitter.com/SVYXj1dPkd — TukTuk Academy (@TukTuk_Academy) July 2, 2025
Sarfaraz Khan: Scored 150, had two failures, DROPPED!
Dhruv Jurel: Had one failure, DROPPED!
Devdutt Padikkal: One failure, DROPPED!
Nitish Kumar Reddy: Scored century, had one failure, DROPPED!
Sai Sudharsan: Bad debut. Got DROPPED! — Sameer Allana (@HitmanCricket) July 2, 2025
THE NUMBERS 3 OF INDIA FROM BGT :
1st Test - Padikkal
2nd Test - Shubman Gill
3rd Test - Gill ( Dropped)
4th Test - kl Rahul
5th Test - Gill
1st Test - Sai Sudharsan
2nd Test - Karun Nair (Sai dropped)
- It's Gautam Gambhir Era in test Cricket
pic.twitter.com/efs2t4Q6sl — MANU. (@IMManu_18) July 2, 2025
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Feel for Sai Sudharsan. 💔
Dropped after just 1 Test — a tough call, purely due to team combination.
He showed promise. Hope he gets another shot soon. pic.twitter.com/o8zFmAcVot — Choudhary kapil (@Kapilmalik3011) July 2, 2025
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