B Sai Sudharsan will have to be patient for his first runs in Test cricket. The young batter got out for a duck in his first innings for India during the first Test against England at Headingley, Leeds. He edged a ball down the leg side in the last over of the morning session. Sudharsan stepped in at No. 3 after KL Rahul was dismissed, breaking up a solid opening stand of 91 runs with Yashasvi Jaiswal.
He looked a bit nervous at the crease, trying hard to get off the mark. In the short time he was there, he and Jaiswal hesitated over a couple of quick singles, showing the jitters often felt by a debutant wanting to make a mark. But then, on the fourth ball of the final over before lunch, Ben Stokes bowled a ball that started wide of leg stump and swung outside the pads. Sudharsan, eager to score, went for a flick but ended up edging it, and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith took the catch.
He walked back to the pavilion visibly upset after not scoring any runs. The Tamil Nadu batter, who won the Orange Cap in IPL 2025 with the Gujarat Titans, became the first Indian since Umesh Yadav in 2011 to get out for a duck in his first Test innings.
Cheteshwar Pujara, who gave Sudharsan his Test cap before the game, asked fans and critics not to be too harsh on him. It was just unfortunate to get caught down the leg side, Pujara said on Sony Sports. When you’re making your debut, it’s normal to feel a bit tense, and that’s likely why he went for that ball, even though it was out of reach. Let’s give him some time. He’s a confident player, and these things happen. I’m sure he’ll come back strong in the second innings.
India went into lunch at 92 for 2, leaving England with a chance to get back into the game. Jaiswal and Rahul had been dominating early on, making Stokes doubt his decision to bowl first. The England bowlers had trouble finding their length and line, but Rahul’s wicket turned things in favor of the home team.
Here’s a list of Indian players who got ducks in their first Test innings:
- CT Sarwate – 1946
- JK Irani – 1947
- SA Banerjee – 1948
- Ghulam Ahmed – 1948
- SP Gupte – 1951
- GS Ramchand – 1952
- JM Patel – 1955
- MS Hardikar – 1958
- VM Muddiah – 1959
- MM Sood – 1960
- BS Chandrasekhar – 1964
- UN Kulkarni – 1967
- ED Solkar – 1969
- GR Viswanath – 1969
- DD Parsana – 1979
- K Srikkanth – 1981
- Maninder Singh – 1982
- RGM Patel – 1988
- V Razdan – 1989
- A Kuruvilla – 1997
- R Singh – 1999
- DJ Gandhi – 1999
- R Vijay Bharadwaj – 1999
- A Ratra – 2002
- PA Patel – 2002
- WP Saha – 2010
- R Ashwin – 2011
- UT Yadav – 2011
- B Sai Sudharsan – 2025