Sai Sudharsan handed India debut; India's playing XI locked

Young and in-form batter Sai Sudharsan is all but confirmed to make his Test debut for India in the five-match Test series opener against England on Friday, June 20, at the Headingley Stadium in Leeds. Shubman Gill might not have yet revealed his playing XI for the first Test, but visuals from the team’s final and optional training session in Leeds confirmed Sai Sudharsan’s debut.

Sudharsan was handed the maiden India Test call-up for the five-match Test series in England after his blistering performances for Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2025, where he amassed over 750 runs. And then his first-class numbers are also decent, scoring 1957 runs in 29 games.

Sai Sudharsan’s dream Test debut at Headingley confirmed by Gautam Gambhir

The left-handed batter has 7 hundreds and 5 fifties to his name in the red-ball cricket. However, Sai has already played three ODIs and one T20I for India, but he didn’t get the chance to bat in his debut match against Zimbabwe. Now, he is all but set to gun all the blazes on fire in England.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

Meanwhile, Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir has confirmed that Sai is making his Test debut in the first Test against England in Leeds. Actually, a video is currently going viral on social media shared by Ray Sportz Cricket, where Gambhir can be seen saying something to Sai and then congratulating him, which is a clear hint that the youngster is already in the playing XI.

Read Also: Emotional moment as Sachin Tendulkar and James Anderson unveil Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy

Sai Sudharsan celebrates Test debut on the ground a day before the first England vs India Test

And then, the Tamil Nadu batter was seen inspecting the pitch along with the senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja after India’s optional training session in Leeds on Thursday, June 19. With the covers on it, they got to see only some portion, but Sai looked happy after having a look at the pitch.

The third hint was that Sai Sudharsan was seen celebrating while moving away from the pitch in the viral video. Sai can be seen celebrating like he has achieved something. While walking off the Headingley Ground, Sudharsan made a victory pump gesture, which signifies triumph or success, and it was another clear hint that he was already told about his Test debut on June 20 against England.

🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨
Sai Sudharsan set to make his Test debut tomorrow at #Headingley, Leeds.
Reports: @im_sandipan from Leeds.
Watch the full story 👉 https://t.co/wlL5DsgxWk#INDvsENG #SaiSudharsan #TeamIndia

— Ray Sportz Cricket (@raysportz_cric) June 19, 2025

Sai Sudharsan is likely to bat at No. 3, Headingley Test to test Shubman Gill’s captaincy and Gautam Gambhir’s strategy

Well, if this is true, then the Gujarat Titans star is likely to bat at number three, and captain Shubman Gill will come at number four, followed by Rishabh Pant and Karun Nair, who is almost confirmed to make his comeback in whites after eight years in the first Test against England.

The last time India’s Test tour of England was ended dramatically. India was ahead 2-1 in the 2021–22 series, but the last match was postponed due to COVID concerns. This test was rescheduled for 2022 at Edgbaston, and England won that game and tied the test series 2-2 against India.

India hasn’t won a Test series in England since 2007. This time, with a new captain in Shubman Gill, an unsettled batting line-up, and some confusion over the bowling attack, the first Test at Headingley will be a litmus test of Gill's leadership and Gambhir’s tactical nous.

Read Also: Watch: Karun Nair declared fit, but Bumrah, Pant and other stars miss India’s final practice at Headingley