India’s cricket management remains confident that Sai Sudharsan can establish himself in the Test side despite modest returns in the longer format so far. The young southpaw, who made his debut in England earlier this year, has struggled to find consistency, particularly while batting at No. 3. His performances in England yielded just a single fifty across three games, falling short of expectations for a top-order batsman.

Assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate acknowledged the pressure Sudharsan might be feeling but emphasised that the player has the backing of both the captain and the coaching staff. “I am sure he does feel like he’s got our backing, like he’s got the captain’s backing and the coaching staff’s backing. And we feel he’ll deliver on his promise very soon,” Ten Doeschate said ahead of the second Test against West Indies in Delhi, starting on Friday.

The competition for spots in India’s top order is fierce. With Rishabh Pant returning to the Test side and second-choice keeper Dhruv Jurel demonstrating admirable technique and scoring enough runs, Sudharsan is aware that every innings counts. “Look, I don’t think you pursue a career of playing cricket in India if you don’t expect that sort of competition. That’s quite impossible,” Ten Doeschate remarked. He added that Sudharsan has been shown confidence in his abilities but also understands that the fight for the top-three or top-four spots is ongoing.

Sudharsan’s form in the recent India A games has shown promise. Leading up to the West Indies series, he scored two fifties and a hundred in three innings for India A, suggesting that he has the skill and temperament to succeed in Tests. However, the transition to the senior team has not yet translated into consistent results, as seen in the Ahmedabad Test where he was dismissed for just seven runs. Ten Doeschate noted that the irregular schedule of Test cricket adds to the challenge. “It doesn’t help that you have five Test matches in the UK and then you wait six weeks to play the next Test match. We don’t have a Test match for another three and a half weeks. So there’s no sort of string of fixtures to get your rhythm and to get yourself going,” he said.

Despite these challenges, the Indian team management is optimistic that Sudharsan has the potential to adapt and succeed. “Sometimes he’s got to fit into the middle order, and he’s aware of the competition,” Ten Doeschate said. “We’ve shown last week just what a good player he is. We’ve known that all along. He has the ability, and we feel he will soon deliver the kind of performances we expect from him.”

With the West Indies series underway, India is placing its faith in Sudharsan to find his rhythm and justify the backing he has received, highlighting the team’s belief in nurturing talent while balancing the demands of international cricket.

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