"He is the man for your No. 3 slot" - Ravi Shastri's massive praise for Indian batter amid ENG vs IND 2025 4th Test

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri believes Sai Sudharsan is the perfect fit for the No. 3 spot in India's Test batting lineup. He urged the team management to give the 23-year-old a consistent run.

Sudharsan made his Test debut in the Test series opener of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England. He registered scores of 0 and 30 and was left out of the playing XI for the subsequent two fixtures due to injury.

Returning to the side for the fourth Test, the youngster notched up his maiden Test fifty, with a 61-run knock from 151 balls at Old Trafford, Manchester, on Day 1 of the ongoing fourth Test.

Suggesting that Sudharsan will establish himself as a pivotal cog in India's red-ball team in the coming days, Shastri told Sky Sports:

"He is the man for your No. 3 slot. Just give him a run. He was very unlucky to be dropped after the first Test because he looked pretty good. He is someone who can stay for a long time. You've not seen the best of him because it's still early days in his career.

"The day he grows in confidence, he can be a terrific No. 3 because he has the counter-attacking game, he has the defence as well, he plays spin well too, and he has a wide range of shots."

Sudharsan and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal (58 off 107) struck half-centuries on the opening day after India were asked to bat first. The visitors ended Day 1 at 264/4.

It is worth mentioning that the Shubman Gill-led side currently trail 1-2 in the five-match series. A defeat here would end their hopes of clinching a historic Test series victory on English soil.

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"I was really surprised this year in the IPL" - Ricky Ponting opens up on Sai Sudharsan's batting amid ENG vs IND 2025 series

During the same discussion, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting stated that he was surprised by Sai Sudharsan's deceptive hard-hitting in the 2025 Indian Premier League. He emphasized that the talented batter will grow from strength to strength once he gets the backing of Indian coaches.

Ponting noted that Sudharsan was a bit tentative at the start of his innings on Day 1 of the fourth Test. He suggested that it was quite understandable, as the southpaw returned to the side after being dropped earlier in the series.

The cricketer-turned-coach told Sky Sports:

"He hits the ball deceptively hard. I was really surprised this year in the IPL. With straight bat shots, down the ground, through midwicket, he hits it deceptively hard. He will grow into that at the Test level.

He added:

"Two games ago, he was in the side, left out, so you can understand that he is going to be a little tentative today, coming out, trying to cement himself back into the lineup. But once he actually does and gets the confidence from his coaches and senior players to go out and back himself and play his natural way, you will see a lot better player."

Sudharsan looked in tremendous form ahead of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. The Gujarat Titans (GT) opener was the Orange Cap winner in IPL 2025, chalking up 759 runs across 15 innings.