Test cricket is a dream come true — unless it ends after just one game. For many, that first cap is years in the making. But as we saw with Sai Sudharsan’s short-lived debut at Leeds in the 2025 India-England series, one poor outing can be all it takes to lose your spot.
Let’s look back at five Indian players — including Sudharsan — who were dropped immediately after their first taste of Test cricket.
Sai Sudharsan: A Short-Lived Test Introduction
There hasn’t been any neglect in the rise of Sai Sudharsan. A composed and elegant batsman, Sudharsan has consistently impressed with his performances in domestic tournaments and the IPL. His Test debut at Leeds was just a progression. But cricket is not that simple.
Sudharsan had the huge challenge of opening the batting, so do not add to the score in the first innings, and then produce a quickfire 30 in the second innings, before I would say, take his chance? he did give himself a small bit to count before not being assured of his spot. However, the game was lost, and when the second Test started at Edgbaston, Sudharsan was not selected.
It is still early to say we can discount Sudharsan, but he has now joined the unfortunate club of respected players whose Test careers did not completely unravel before they began.
The “One-Test Wonder” Club: An Unwanted Legacy
India has had a vast array of cricketers navigate the sadness of a short Test career. Sudharsan’s drop is not unprecedented — it is just the latest episode in the overall arc.
Remember Vinay Kumar? After years of slogging in the domestic arena, he finally got the nod in 2012 — on an unfriendly Perth pitch, to boot. That was a pretty disastrous over. He got just one wicket and went for 148 in 13 overs, punctuated by a one-inning/one-ball stint in Adelaide before he was lucky to never see the whites again.
Then there’s Karn Sharma, who came in for Ashwin in Adelaide in 2014. Four wickets on debut look good on the surface, but 238 runs conceded across innings tells a different story.
These are not just stats — these are stories of dreams earned by hard work colliding with hard reality in cricket. And each of these reflects Sudharsan’s similar fate on his Test debut.
Different Roles, Same Outcome
Interestingly, the “one-Test” tag only doesn’t apply to all-rounders or bowlers, even a specialist wicketkeeper or a T20 star can carry the same title of being a one-Test wonder.
Naman Ojha was one of those one-Test wonders; he played only one Test at Colombo in 2015, scored 21 and 35, same time did well behind the stumps. Wriddhiman Saha returned and Ojha faded, had a not-bad game, but the opportunity never arrived again.
And who could forget Suryakumar Yadav? The T20 superstar finally got his long-awaited chance to play red-ball international cricket against Australia in 2023. Eight runs later (and no second innings to speak of), SKY was back on the bench without being seen in whites ever again to this day. His story may suggest more about selection policies than performances, but the result is the same.
So, this raises the question of just how much margin for error India’s Test newcomers expect. Is one game generally enough to determine a career?
Disclaimer: This Exclusive News is based on the author’s understanding, analysis, and instinct. As you review this information, consider the points mentioned and form your own conclusions.
Sunil Gavaskar’s top 3 performances in Test Cricket
3 reasons why England could win 3rd Test
Sunil Gavaskar’s top 3 performances in ODIs
On this day, Sunil Gavaskar was born in 1949
