'The No. 3 spot can't become a game of musical chairs.'
Despite a standout 87 against the West Indies in the second Test in Delhi, Sai Sudharsan was dropped for the Kolkata Test, a decision Aakash Chopra says 'defies logic' and exposes deeper uncertainty in India's selection thinking.
India opted for an unusual four spinner combination at Eden Gardens, which meant Sudharsan was left out and Axar Patel brought in.
Introduced to the No. 3 position during the England tour, Sudarshan was dropped after just one Test. When the Karun Nair experiment failed, India turned back to the Tamil Nadu batter, who delivered with an impressive 87 in Delhi against the West Indies, an innings that briefly quietened critics and suggested he could be a long-term option.
His omission from the Kolkata Test left Chopra baffled.
'If you're not convinced with Sai Sudharsan's batting after what he did in Delhi, then why is he still in the squad? Why keep him in the team?' Chopra asked.
'It can't be that just because you need fifteen players, you include him even though you have no belief in him. That's not how it works. So their thinking I don't understand it,' Chopra added.
After Rahul Dravid and Cheteshwar Pujara retired, India have struggled to lock down a stable No. 3. While Shubman Gill enjoyed success at the position, he moved to No. 4 following Virat Kohli's retirement.
Chopra believes India can't continue treating the position like a revolving door and needs to commit to grooming the next player for the job.
'Let me play devil's advocate -- there were three spinners, two fast bowlers, and the West Indies didn't get bowled out by us the second time. And it was a flat pitch; maybe they felt they wouldn't bowl them out, so they wanted one more bowler. I don't think the decision had anything to do with batting,' Chopra argued.
'If Washington plays, or if Axar plays, they will score so many runs that you won't miss Sai Sudharsan's batting contribution. That happens.'
While winning remains the priority, Chopra asserted that India cannot afford to neglect the long-term view.
'When the team is winning, that becomes one part of cricket but the second part is preparing players and taking them forward. And Sai Sudharsan yes, he scored runs and still got dropped. If you're not in the playing XI, that doesn't mean you suddenly become a useless player.'
'India has a chance here to prepare their players. The No. 3 spot cannot become a game of musical chairs. If you don't identify the right guy now, then what? There was Karun Nair, maybe next time you'll see Abhimanyu Easwaran and then Sai doesn't get prepared at all,' Chopra said.
Sudarshan has scored 273 runs in five Tests at No. 3, averaging 30.33 with two half-centuries, numbers that Chopra believes deserve more patience, not another shuffle.
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