Young B Sai Sudharsan’s rapid ascension to prominence in the Indian cricket setup is admirable. The 23-year-old, who has previously represented India in ODIs and T20Is, gained his first Test call-up on Saturday as the All India Men’s Senior Selection Committee selected the squad for the forthcoming five-match series against England.

While the left-handed hitter is currently in superb form in the IPL 2025, chief selector Ajit Agarkar stated that Sudharsan’s inclusion was based on consistent performance across formats and conditions, rather than solely his IPL heroics. India’s Test team is now in a transitional period with the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

With their departures, some young stars have gained new opportunities. Sudharsan is being groomed to be a member of the team’s next generation after Shubman Gill was named the new red-ball captain. His accomplishments in domestic cricket, India ‘A’ matches, and a county stint with Surrey put him a strong contender for a Test spot. Following the squad announcement, Agarkar stated that the selection committee had been keeping track of Sudharsan’s progress for some time.

“When the England Lions came, he performed brilliantly. We did not pick him because of the IPL. He has showed the appropriate way and appears to have the talent to achieve at the highest level. We’ve been looking at him for a while, but he’s never fit in with the team,” Agarkar stated during the press conference.

Feels very special and surreal: Sai Sudharsan

The Tamil Nadu batter hammered 304 runs in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy for his state. Additionally, his two county stints with Surrey in England saw him get familiar with the conditions, and he scored 281 runs across eight innings for Surrey, including a century. His IPL 2025 season has also been solid. As the leading run-scorer for Gujarat Titans with 638 runs, the Southpaw has been the backbone of GT’s batting unit, who have already made it to the Playoffs.

“It obviously feels great. Feels very special to be honest, and surreal also. Any cricketer, any young cricketer who starts playing cricket, wants to play Test cricket, wants to play for the country. The ultimate goal is always to play Test cricket. So really happy for that,” he said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.