Mumbai, Maharashtra – July 24, 2025 – Former Indian cricketer and JioStar expert Sanjay Manjrekar has lauded young left-handed batter Sai Sudharsan for his crucial half-century on Day one of the fourth Test against England in Manchester. Manjrekar described Sudharsan as a Test player who appears “grounded, academic type, and prepares diligently,” underscoring the qualities vital for a long and successful career in the format.
Sudharsan, who made his Test debut against England on July 23, 2025, had faced a challenging start to the series with scores of 0 and 30 in the first Test at Leeds, leading to his omission from the subsequent two matches in favor of Karun Nair. However, given another opportunity at number three, Sudharsan seized it with a technically solid innings of 61 runs from 151 balls, featuring seven fours, firmly establishing his claim for the crucial batting position.
Speaking on ‘Match Centre Live,’ Manjrekar noted that Sudharsan initially appeared nervous, which was understandable given his disappointing debut and subsequent exclusion. “But as the innings progressed, his composure returned,” Manjrekar observed. “He has an organised game, and even though he has made his mark in T20s, the way he scores reflects the fundamentals you need in Tests. These were tough conditions to bat at number three after being asked to bat first.”
Manjrekar emphasized the hard-earned nature of Sudharsan’s runs and highlighted his promising temperament. “He got some hard-earned runs, and more importantly, he seems like someone who would not get carried away by one good outing — a grounded, academic type who prepares diligently. That is the kind of player who builds a long Test career,” he added.
Sudharsan’s maiden Test half-century marks a significant milestone. It is the first by an Indian number three outside India since December 2022, when Cheteshwar Pujara scored 90 and 102 against Bangladesh in the first Test of the series at Chattogram. Furthermore, this 50-run knock is the first by an Indian number three outside Asia since January 2022, when Pujara scored 53 against South Africa in Johannesburg.
Sudharsan entered this tour following an exceptional Indian Premier League (IPL) season for Gujarat Titans (GT), where he won the Orange Cap, accumulating 759 runs in 15 matches at an impressive average of 54.21, with a striking rate above 156. His IPL season included one century and six half-centuries.
Internationally, Sudharsan had previously played a T20I for India (not getting to bat) and made his ODI debut against South Africa in 2023, scoring a half-century on debut. In that ODI series, he amassed 127 runs in three matches, including two fifties, with a best score of 62.
In first-class cricket, Sudharsan boasts a record of 1987 runs in 30 matches and 51 innings at an average of 38.96, comprising seven centuries and five fifties. His highest score in this format is 213.
At the close of Day one of the Manchester Test, Team India had posted a score of 264/4, with Shardul Thakur (19*) and Ravindra Jadeja (16*) at the crease. A significant setback for India was Rishabh Pant’s retirement hurt at 37 due to a foot injury. Besides Sudharsan’s crucial knock, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal also contributed a solid half-century, scoring 58 runs off 107 balls, including 10 fours and a six. For England, skipper Ben Stokes was the pick of the bowlers, claiming two wickets for 47 runs, including the dismissals of Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan.