Young India batter Sai Sudharsan failed to make it count in the second innings of Manchester Test as he was dismissed for a golden duck, leaving the side at 0/2. This came after he had played a great inning of 61 in the first innings of the match and had scored his maiden half-century in red-ball cricket.
Ponting wasn't satisfied with the treatment of Sudharsan
Following Sudharsan's dismissal for a golden duck, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting raised questions over the way that head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Shubman Gill are handling the team. Ponting even went on to accuse both Gambhir and Gill of putting 'internal pressure' on the young Sudharsan by dropping him after the first Test and then bringing him in again in the fourth Test.
"It just creates internal pressure, the pressure a youngster doesn't need or someone coming in doesn't need looking over their shoulders on if they will get another opportunity. That's why I was really surprised that they made the call on Sudarshan for the first Test and then went away from him and then went straight back to him," Ponting told Sky Sports.
"For a young bloke, you want that bit of reassurance from your captain and your coaches - We are picking you now and we are going to give you a decent run at it and see how you go. I've got no doubt that Sudarshan is going to be good enough," he added.
Notably, Sudharsan was handed his Test debut with the first match of the England series at Headingley. However, he wasn't able to deliver and got dismissed for scores of 0 and 30 in the first and second innings respectively. Surprisingly, the left-hand batter was dropped from the playing XI for the very next match and wasn't given a place for the third match either. There is no guarantee if he will be included in the XI for the final Test which is set to commence from July 31 at The Oval.
Meanwhile, after losing two early wickets, the Indian batters have fought back incredibly well on Day 5 with Shubman Gill scoring a century and KL Rahul playing a fabulous knock of 90. After both of them lost their wickets, the duo of Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja went on to form a partnership of over 100 runs to take India's total over the 300-run mark for the loss of four wickets. With the second session about to conclude, it is highly likely that the match will end in a draw and the series will be decided in the final Test.