Sudharsan's 81 offers reassurance in India's problem position

Since the start of 2025, India have managed only two hundred-plus stands for the second wicket, including the one that KL Rahul and Sai Sudharsan were involved in on the opening day of the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Mullanpur, combining for 139 runs after the early loss of Yashasvi Jaiswal.

The scarcity of such partnerships is closely tied to India's unsettled No. 3 position. Before this Test, India had tried four players in the role since January 2025 - for a return of 506 runs in 19 innings at an average of 26.63, with only two fifty-plus scores. Among Test-playing nations in that period, India's No. 3 average ranked eighth. Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar and Karun Nair all had opportunities without registering a half-century, while Sudharsan himself entered this Test with 383 runs from 12 innings at No.3 at an average of 31.91.

That backdrop explains why there was so much emphasis from the Indian management on continuity ahead of the Afghanistan Test. Both Gautam Gambhir and Ryan ten Doeschate spoke about the need to persist with a player long enough for growth to happen and to settle into one of the most demanding positions in Test cricket. Despite a difficult initiation to the format and competition from Devdutt Padikkal, who enjoyed an outstanding domestic season, Sudharsan retained the management's backing.

"It gives so much freedom, it gives so much certainty mentally when the coach and the team and the captain support you, back you and want you to do well for the country, want you to do well for the team and win games. So it is such a honour and obviously gives a lot of freedom for you to express yourself and do what you can do at your best rather than thinking about scoring or thinking about will I play in the next game or whatever thought of that sort, that never arises because you have got a great freedom from the team."

What stood out was not merely the 81 runs but the manner in which they were accumulated. There was little evidence of a batter trying to force his way back into form or justify his place. Instead, there was a sense of clarity and conviction in his approach. He absorbed pressure when required, expanded when opportunities presented themselves and appeared increasingly comfortable as the innings progressed.

The result was evident in the way he handled Afghanistan's attack. Against pace, he scored fluently without appearing reckless. Against spin, he showed greater restraint, willing to wait for opportunities rather than manufacture them. Nearly 70 percent of Sudharsan's runs came on the leg side in this innings, including 10 of his 13 fours.

"Obviously when it happened in England it was definitely something new for me so I went back and worked on it and got improved ideas on it, which helped me today. I was not thinking about it more and just looking at the ball and playing at my best," said Sudharsan.

That assurance was aided considerably by the presence of Rahul at the other end. Their partnership was valuable not simply because of the runs it yielded but because of the way it developed. Rahul endured a testing start, surviving an early reprieve and spending much of the opening session searching for rhythm. Yet his experience allowed him to remain patient. As conditions eased and the innings settled, he gradually found his way forward, providing the stability around which the partnership grew.

Speaking about the partnership, Sudharsan said: "The conversation was more about understanding what was happening, understanding how the wicket was behaving and who was bowling what. We were not thinking about me taking a bigger hand and him playing the second (fiddle). It was more about how were the conditions. With KL, he gives so much composure. When I bat with him, he gives so much composure and he gives so much certainty. It helps as a batter and he sees the game very well. So he gives a lot of useful cues which we would use in the game.

"The wicket was slow and low most of the times and it was spinning, so what options can we take when it is slow and low, so the conversation was mostly around that. I think the biggest conversation was around how well we can play spin, how well we can understand the conditions and score runs out of it rather than just looking to play time," noted Sudharsan.

The pitch, while generally good for batting, occasionally stayed low, offered some assistance to spin and demanded constant adjustment. Rahul and Sudharsan adapted accordingly. There was a balance between caution and intent that defined the partnership. Neither batter dominated throughout, yet Afghanistan were rarely allowed to control the game. The stand consumed 185 deliveries and 147 minutes, but it never felt static. It steadily shifted the balance of the contest, taking India from a position of mild vulnerability to one of authority.

"It was more about believing and trusting my abilities and what I can do as a batsman and tactically we were having a lot of conversations around what can we do to disturb the (lengths of the) bowlers, what options can we take so that we keep on ticking the scoreboard where the pressure is always there rather than just soaking up and playing time," added Sudharsan.

For Sudharsan, that may ultimately be the most significant takeaway from the innings. The score of 81 will rank comfortably among the better efforts of his young Test career, but the larger value lies in what it represented. It felt like the innings of a batter beginning to understand both the role and the demands that come with it.

Sudharsan walked back disappointed after falling for 81, aware that a maiden Test hundred had slipped away. But for a team searching for permanence at No. 3, the most encouraging aspect of the day was not the number beside his name, but the growing sense that he belongs there.

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