IND vs AFG Test 2026: Sai Sudharsan to bat at No. 3, confirms Gautam Gambhir

India Men’s Head Coach Gautam Gambhir has confirmed that Sai Sudharsan will be playing at number three for the team in the one-off Test against Afghanistan set to commence on June 6 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur.

India has been on the hunt for a consistent number 3 since the retirement of Cheteshwar Pujara, who was the stable placeholder of the position. Multiple batters have tried to fill in the spot, with Shubman Gill appearing likely as the race leader to make the spot his own. Gill has since become the mainstay at number 4 following the retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, once more leaving a gap at number 3.

Sudharsan made his Test debut in England in June of 2025, slotting in at number 3. He was unable to settle in, with scores of 0, 30, 61, 0, 38 and 11. He was once again carded in at one-drop for the two Tests against the West Indies, getting scores of 7, 87, and 39. The series loss to South Africa saw Washington Sundar bat at number 3 in the first Test without much success. Sudharsan returned for the second Test but managed scores of 14 and 15 as the Proteas completed a 2-0 whitewash.

Gambhir confirmed that Sudharsan would bat at one-drop against Afghanistan, adding that the southpaw deserves a longer rope and urging to not judge him based on the handful of games he played. He further lauded Sudharsan for his season in the 2026 IPL. 

“Sai Sudharsan has not got a fair chance. He played mostly in England and I believe he needs to get a fair chance,” Gambhir told the reporters here. We can (only) pick 11 (players) and Sai isn’t in bad form. He scored 700 runs in IPL. If we judge Sai on basis of 4-5 games we will never be able to build something,” Gambhir said, speaking in the pre-match press conference, as reported by India Today.

Sudharsan is yet again coming off a fantastic season in the IPL. He scored 722 runs at an average of 45.12, striking at 157.98, as he and fellow opener Gill played a significant role in the Titans’ run to the final, doing the heavy-lifting with the bat. The year 2026 was his second successive 700-plus run season in the IPL, after his 759 runs saw him win the Orange Cap in 2025.