Sai Sudharsan gets out like Gautam Gambhir to avoid axing in 5th Test

Sai Sudharsan, who had played a solid knock of 61 runs in the first innings, faced a heartbreaking moment on Day 4 of the ongoing fourth Test against England at Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester. As Sai Sudharsan walked out to bat in the second innings, expectations were high.

But the left-handed batter was dismissed on the very first ball he faced for a golden duck that stunned fans and reminded everyone of a similar moment in England involving the former Indian opener and current head coach Gautam Gambhir.

Sai Sudharsan falls for a duck just like Gautam Gambhir in England

Back in 2014, during India’s tour of England, Gautam Gambhir was dismissed for a first-ball duck in the final Test at The Oval. Just like Sudharsan, Gambhir had tried to leave the ball but ended up edging it to the wicketkeeper and lost his wicket at The Oval.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

In the ongoing Manchester Test, England had taken control by scoring a massive 669 in response to India’s 358, gaining a lead of 311 runs. India needed a strong start to stay in the game. But Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was out for a duck in the very first over to Chris Woakes.

Sai Sudharsan then walked in to bat alongside KL Rahul, hoping to steady the innings. But Woakes delivered another blow to the already under-pressure touring side.

Sudharsan tried to leave the delivery, but the ball brushed the bottom edge of his bat and flew to second slip, where Harry Brook took a clean catch. And India found themselves at 0 for 2.

Sudharsan's dismissal was very similar to Gambhir’s in 2014. Back then, in the fifth and final test at The Oval, Gambhir had also tried to leave a delivery from James Anderson, only to edge it behind to the England wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler.

Watch- Sai Sudharsan's identical dismissal to Gautam Gambhir

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Captain Ollie Pope (@captain.olliepope)

Even in the commentary box, the legendary England batter Geoffrey Boycott had just mentioned that Gambhir struggles against swinging deliveries, and on the very next ball, the opener was dismissed by a delivery that moved just enough to catch his edge. That early setback had cost India dearly, as they went on to lose the Test by an innings and 244 runs.

Stuart Broad blames fatigue for Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sai Sudharsan’s failures on Day 4

Meanwhile, former England fast bowler Stuart Broad believes that spending so much time in the field before coming out to bat took a toll on Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sudharsan, as he blamed ‘tiredness’ for their poor dismissals on Day 4 of the ongoing Manchester Test.

Stuart Broad was quoted as saying by JioHotstar: “Fresh legs, fresh bowlers. If you give your bowlers two nights' sleep in a Test match, they will come out and make the ball talk. It's an interesting one. Jaiswal, second ball, tried to cut one and missed, and he immediately shook his legs. You know what you do when you've got lactic acid in your legs—you've got to shake them out and get some feeling.

That to me showed that mentally and physically, he was tired, and he was trying to switch himself on. Sudharsan... it was complete mental and physical tiredness, which, in your second Test match, when you have fielded for over 160 overs, is completely understandable.”