Ajit Agarkar hopeful of giving long run to Sai Sudharsan in Test cricket

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar is hopeful of giving a long run to Sai Sudharsan in the Test format. Sudharsan was included in India’s 15-man squad for the two-match Test series against the West Indies. Sudharsan had made his Test debut against England but had failed to grab his opportunity with both hands.

The southpaw scored 140 runs in three Test matches against England at an average of 23.33 and he would look to come up with more consistent performances while playing at home.

Sudharsan has shown the right technique and it would be interesting to note his performances in the home conditions.

Ajit Agarkar said in the press conference, “Eventually, it’s a little bit about continuity. I mean, I think changes at number three happened because of the combination that we played. We played an extra all-rounder down the order, and that’s how we changed the combination. Then Nitish Reddy came into the picture in a couple of the Tests.”

“So that just depends on what the captain and the coach at that point want and what balance they want to achieve. But as far as going forward is concerned, I mean, Sai has shown a lot of promise. We know he’s a very good player, and hopefully we can give him a longish run from now on at a particular number,” he added.

The former fast bowler said it is difficult to fill in the big shoes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin but praised the team’s performance on the England tour.

“And when people like Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma retire, those are big holes to fill here always. I mean, not to forget Ashwin a few months back, and Shami hasn’t played for a while. Those guys have been, over the last 10 years, key players for the team. So those things, but a lot of these younger guys have shown some really good signs in England, which was really tough, even though we didn’t win it. But there were lots of positives to build on, and hopefully going forward, we can give these guys time to actually build their careers.”

The opening Test against the West Indies will be at Ahmedabad from October 2 onwards.