Sai Sudharsan to bat at No 3 on Test debut

Cliff Notes – Sai Sudharsan to bat at No 3 on Test debut

• B Sai Sudharsan will make his Test debut for India, batting at No. 3 against England at Headingley.
• Karun Nair returns to international cricket after an eight-year hiatus, while India fields four seamers for the match.

Sai Sudharsan to bat at No. 3 on Test debut

B Sai Sudharsan will bat at No. 3 on his Test debut for India against England at Headingley, while Karun Nair returns to international cricket after an eight-year absence. India have picked four seamers for the first Test, including the allrounder Shardul Thakur at No. 8, but it is their batters who will be put to the test on the first morning after Ben Stokes chose to bowl first.

The last six Tests at Headingley have been won by the team bowling first, which might explain Stokes’ decision despite the bright sunshine in Leeds. “Headingley is generally a very good cricket wicket,” Stokes said at the toss. “Hopefully, we can look to use the early conditions, and try to get a bit out of it… We’re all excited, we’re all ready to go.”

Shubman Gill, captaining India for the first time in Tests, said he would have chosen to bowl first, but predicted the pitch would become a “really good batting wicket” after the first session. “The sun is out. It looks like a good batting day for us,” Gill said. “The preparation has been amazing.”

England named their team two days before the toss, with Ollie Pope retaining his spot at No. 3 and Brydon Carse set to open the bowling with Chris Woakes. Josh Tongue and Stokes are their other seamers, while Shoaib Bashir is their frontline spinner.

Prasidh Krishna joins Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj as India’s third frontline seamer, with Thakur providing an all-round option. Ravindra Jadeja is their only spinner, with Kuldeep Yadav left out.