India batter Sai Sudharsan will be absent for the first round of Ranji Trophy 2025-26 matches, starting from tomorrow (October 15). While he was initially expected to feature in the Tamil Nadu squad for their season opener against Jharkhand, it is now understood that the left-hander haven’t received a go-ahead from the BCCI.
Sai, along with Narayan Jagadeesan, who were part of the recent IND vs WI Test series, were expected to be added as part of an updated Tamil Nadu squad.
The 23-year-old had suffered an injury after getting hit on the chest during the second West Indies Test while taking a freak catch of John Campbell at short leg and was in severe pain since the ball hit him hard.
BCCI later mentioned that he had suffered an impact injury and did not field the subsequent day as a precautionary measure. Sai, however, came out to bat later during India’s second innings.
ALSO READ:
Prior to the WI series, Sai was under scrutiny for his performances at the No.3 spot, following an average outing in his debut series in England. It got even stronger after he scored only seven in the first match against West Indies.
However, he made amends in the next Test, scoring 87 and narrowly missing out on his maiden international ton followed by a gritty 39 in the second innings.
With competition from other batters like Devdutt Padikkal, Dhruv Jurel, Sai will need to consolidate his spot and the Ranji Trophy matches would have been an excellent platform to make his case.
After the WI series, India is next slated to take on South Africa in a two-Test series, starting November 14.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
