'He'll be top of the list" - Ravi Shastri backs young Indian batter to be picked for England Tests 2025

Former India cricketer and head coach Ravi Shastri feels that Sai Sudharsan's county cricket experience, coupled with his sound batting technique, makes him an ideal fit for the England tour in the June-August window. The Men in Blue are scheduled to play five Tests to kickstart the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.

Sai Sudharsan has been prolific in first-class cricket, and a constant presence for India 'A' on shadow tours. The left-handed batter was close to being picked in Team India's main squad for the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar series opener in Perth after an injury to Shubman Gill. However, on that occasion, the selectors picked Devdutt Padikkal.

The 23-year-old, who is enjoying a prolific Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season with the bat, has extensive experience playing red-ball cricket in England. He has had multiple county stints with Surrey, scoring 281 runs in five appearances, with one hundred and one fifty to his name.

Ravi Shastri opined that Sudharsan is an all-format player, and needs to be seriously considered for the England tour squad after the IPL.

“I see this young man, Sai Sudharsan, for all formats of the game. He seems like a class player and my eyes would be on him certainly. Being a left-hander in England, knowing English conditions, and just his technique, the way he plays, I think he'll be top of the list for me from the outsiders wanting to get into this side," Ravi Shastri said on the ICC Review.

Sai Sudharsan has also been racking up the runs in the Indian domestic circuit since his first-class debut in 2022. He scored 304 runs in just three matches for Tamil Nadu in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, which included a sublime double hundred against Delhi.

“I'll be looking for a left-armer" - Ravi Shastri backs one of Arshdeep Singh and Khaleel Ahmed to make the cut

Team India already have an established pace battery, but it is composed entirely of right-handed pacers, including the back-up options like Prasidh Krishna and Mukesh Kumar. The thought of a left-arm seamer was considered ahead of the Border-Gavaskar series, but the selectors went with their trusted combination, including a surprise pick in Harshit Rana.

Ravi Shastri feels that India should have a left-arm pacer in the mix for variety. He named Arshdeep Singh as one option, who has played county cricket for Kent in the past.

“I'll be looking for a left-armer. I'll be keeping an eye on which left-armer is in good form, and try and squeeze him in there as the sixth (bowling) option.“It could be anyone. It could even be a white-ball specialist. I don't like this thing when they say someone like Arshdeep Singh is a ‘white-ball specialist’," Shastri said.

“You need a left-armer, go and find him, whoever it is and whoever is the best of the lot – pick them. There's Khaleel Ahmed, who again, his rhythm is good, he's bowling well. So it's important to get that mix," he added.

India last won a Test series in England back in 2007 under Rahul Dravid's captaincy. In their last tour, they returned with a 2-2 draw result after the tour was suspended midway due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the camp.