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Former India's star batter Mohammad Kaif believes that Abhimanyu Easwaran should be considered a stronger candidate for the vacant no.3 batting position than Sai Sudharsan for the upcoming Test series against England. The recent Test retirement of Virat Kohli has led to Shubman Gill moving down to the no.4 spot, creating a selection dilemma for the Indian team regarding their top-order composition.
With KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal likely to take on the opening roles, Team India is expected to introduce a new face at the crucial no.3 spot. The players in contention for this role include Abhimanyu Easwaran, a seasoned performer in domestic cricket, the promising young talent Sai Sudharsan, and the experienced Karun Nair, who is making a return to the squad. While Nair might be considered for a slot lower down the batting order, the primary decision for the no.3 spot seems to be between Easwaran and Sudharsan.
Mohammad Kaif finds Abhimanyu Easwaran a perfect fit for no.3 spot
Many have advocated for Sudharsan, pointing to his impressive form in white-ball cricket, especially after a stellar 2025 season in the Indian Premier League (IPL). His Orange Cap win, achieved through scoring 759 runs in 15 matches with an average of 54.21 and a striking strike rate of 156.17, has strengthened his case. Furthermore, Sudharsan also showcased his red-ball capabilities in the Ranji Trophy prior to the IPL, accumulating 304 runs in just three matches at an average of 76.
Despite Sudharsan's recent successes, Mohammad Kaif argues that Abhimanyu Easwaran's formidable record in first-class cricket should not be overlooked. Kaif feels that Easwaran's consistent performance and experience in the longer format give him an edge, suggesting that he deserves a higher consideration than Sudharsan in the team's selection plans for the no.3 role.
"Abhimanyu Easwaran deserves to be in the playing XI before Sai Sudarshan. Easwaran's 27 first-class hundreds, almost 8k FC runs need to be respected. By dropping Sarfraz, someone who scored runs for India A in England, selectors made a mistake. They shouldn't repeat it by keeping Easwaran out of Leeds Test," Kaif posted on his X account.
Easwaran had previously been in contention for a spot in the playing eleven when the team needed an opening batter in the absence of Rohit Sharma before the opening match of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar series in Perth. However, after the domestic veteran registered low scores in the practice matches, KL Rahul was ultimately chosen for the role and he capitalized on the opportunity. More recently, while leading India 'A' in England in preparation for the upcoming five-match Test series, Easwaran demonstrated his form by scoring two half-centuries in two matches against the England Lions.
The Indian team seems inclined to make a late decision regarding the No.3 batting position, potentially waiting to assess the pitch conditions and evaluate the players' performances in the final training sessions. Rishabh Pant, the newly appointed vice-captain, indicated that the middle-order batting slots have been finalised with him and Gill coming in at no.4 and no.5 respectively, but the team management is still actively deliberating on the most suitable player for the crucial No.3 role in the batting lineup.
England's Playing XI for first Test against India:
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Jamie Smith (WK), Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue, Shoaib Bashir
India's squad for England tour:
Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana.
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