Shubman Gill Fought Gautam Gambhir For Sai Sudharsan’s Selection In India Test Squad- Report

Reports have stated that Shubman Gill, the new India Test captain fought with head coach got get GT teammate Sai Sudarsan selected in India squad for England Test tour.

Sai Sudharsan and Arshdeep Singh have been named to the 18-member squad, which will be captained by Shubman Gill. Karun Nair and Shardul Thakur have rejoined the Indian cricket team. The squad was announced on Saturday during a meeting in Mumbai by the selection committee, which is chaired by Ajit Agarkar.

As India prepares for the first Test in Leeds, all eyes will be on whether team management will give Sai Sudharsan the opportunity to display his talent. Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir will decide on the batting lineup and playing XI.

Shubman Gill and Gautam Gambhir fought over Sai Sudharsan’s selection

CricBlogger said that Gautam Gambhir was against Sai Sudharsan being included in the Test team. However, the Tamil Nadu opener was able to clinch his spot after almost half an hour of convincing from recently named Test captain Shubman Gill, who also plays for the Gujarat Titans.

"Even the selectors were shocked by Gambhir’s choice of players. None of the board officials were available for comments. Gambhir himself was a left-handed opener and opposing Sai’s name didn’t make much of a sense,” a BCCI source told CricBlogger.

During the 2025 IPL season, the 23-year-old left-handed batter Sudarsan has been an outstanding player. With a strike rate of 155.37 and an average of 52.23, he has amassed 679 runs from 14 games, including five half-centuries and one century. When necessary, he has demonstrated the ability to accelerate and anchor innings.

Sai has previously played under English conditions. In 2023 and 2024, he played for Surrey in the County Championship and can adjust to a variety of playing conditions.

Sai Sudharsan primed for top order spot in India’s new-look Test XI

Sai Sudharsan is set to join India's redesigned top order after Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma announced their retirement from Test cricket.

Although he has experience batting in a variety of positions, including the middle order for Surrey in county cricket, he typically opens for Tamil Nadu in domestic cricket.

In 29 first-class games, the 23-year-old has amassed 1957 runs at an average of slightly under 40, with five fifties and seven hundreds.

In Mackay last November, he scored his most recent century while playing at number three for India A against Australia A.

Also Read: Rahul Dravid Accused Of Favoring Shubman Gill And Destroying A Young Indian Batsman's Career