"Gambhir era not holding back"- Fans angry as Sai Sudharsan gets dropped for the second ENG vs IND test

Ankitjit Singh is a Sub-Editor at Khel Now, known for his in-depth knowledge of cricket.

Published at :July 2, 2025 at 5:24 PM

Modified at :July 2, 2025 at 5:24 PM

(Courtesy : BCCI)

Sai Sudharsan scored 0 and 30 across two innings in the first test against England at Headingley.

Indian Cricket Team batter Sai Sudharsan didn’t get the backing of the team management in the ongoing second test against the England Cricket Team. The match between the two teams is taking place at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham.

Sai Sudharsan, who made his debut for India in tests in the last match at Headingly in Leeds, was expected to retain his place in the team for the ongoing clash. But that wasn’t the case as he was dropped from the team, which raised many eyebrows.

Sai Sudharsan was replaced by Washington Sundar in the Indian XI as team management was keen to bring in the second spinner in the team alongside Ravindra Jadeja. With his omission, Karun Nair was promoted to three and Sundar at seven makes batting depth stronger for India.

Sai Sudharsan batted at three for India in Leeds. He didn’t have a great start to his career as he bagged a duck in the first innings. But looked good in the second innings as he played a knock of 30 runs off 48 balls, failing to capitalise on the start that he had.

Apart from the snub of Sai Sudharsan in the XI, India made two changes. Jasprit Bumrah has also been rested for workload management and has been replaced by Akash Deep. Also, Nitish Kumar Reddy came in place of Shardul Thakur in the team.

Fans on Twitter react as India drops Sai Sudharsan for the second test against England

As the Indian team management dropped Sai Sudharsan from the second test against England, fans on Twitter reacted to it. They lashed out at head coach Gautam Gambhir and his support staff for their poor decision and gave some angry reactions.

Gambhir era not holding back BCCI -Sai Sudharsan dropped for no reason -Kuldeep is yet to get a game#INDvsEND #ENGvIND #GautamGambhir pic.twitter.com/RdeEg2GpaV
— Shruti Pandey 🚩 (@Pandeyshruti252) July 2, 2025

If Sai Sudharsan had been from another state and Karun Nair had been from Tamil Nadu, then Karun would have been dropped and Sai would have been retained in the 11s@BCCI 🤡 #ENGvsIND
— Demon 𝘽𝙇𝘼𝘾𝙆𝙔 ᵀᴹ (@BlackyDaa) July 2, 2025

On the basic of one match, a talent like Sai Sudharsan was dropped from the Playing-11. On the other hand, Karun Nair is returning to international cricket after 7 years. Although he could not do anything in the first match but he is being given a chance. How much cricket is…
— Satish Mishra 🇮🇳 (@SATISHMISH78) July 2, 2025

It's a such a shame that talented Sai Sudharsan will be dropped after one match and Karun Nair who can serve max 2 years to India will be backed.Why we can't invest in youngster? Sai is the future not Karun Nair. Another bad move by Gautam Gambhir and team management. pic.twitter.com/JCepalbp1M
— Sujeet Suman (@sujeetsuman1991) July 2, 2025

Feel for Sai Sudharsan. 💔Dropped after just 1 Test — a tough call, purely due to team combination.He showed promise. Hope he gets another shot soon. pic.twitter.com/o8zFmAcVot
— Choudhary kapil (@Kapilmalik3011) July 2, 2025

Dropping Sai Sudharsan after just one game—especially when it's a debut or a return after a long break—feels harsh.Every player deserves at least 2 to 3 consistent chances to settle in and prove themselves.A single game should never define a career.#SaiSudharsan… pic.twitter.com/CTrkpKeQox
— MR . AK (@anandhumanoj666) July 2, 2025

You should be slapped if you drop a player after one bad game.This is injustice to Sai Sudharsan.No clarity on Karun Nair role as well.Why so much panic after playing the first test well for the first 4 days!!
— Enaam (@iamenaam) July 2, 2025

Gautam Gambhir’s decision to drop Sai Sudharsan for the second Test is honestly baffling. A young player shows promise on debut, and instead of backing him, you bench him? Makes no sense. pic.twitter.com/LME200pOGc
— The Cricket Pundits (@TCPofficial_X) July 2, 2025

What do you make of the Indian XI for this second test match? Sai Sudharsan is very stiff to miss out after only 1 test…
— Aaron Finch (@AaronFinch5) July 2, 2025

23-year-old Sai Sudharsan dropped after one Test is a disgrace.#ENGvIND
— CricBlog ✍ (@cric_blog) July 2, 2025

Why give a Test debut to Sai Sudharsan if he was going to be dropped after 1 match?? It's not like He is injured. pic.twitter.com/LlbdXBzTTJ
— Aditya Saha (@Adityakrsaha) July 2, 2025

After the retirements of Rohit, Virat, and Ashwin, a key question for the new India era – and the main skill needed from management – is how they blood youngsters into the Test team.Anyway, 23 year old Sai Sudharsan has been dropped after one Test, where he batted first drop
— Ben Jones (@benjonescricket) July 2, 2025

Sarfaraz Khan: Scored 150, had two failures, DROPPED!Dhruv Jurel: Had one failure, DROPPED!Devdutt Padikkal: One failure, DROPPED!Nitish Kumar Reddy: Scored century, had one failure, DROPPED!Sai Sudharsan: Bad debut. Got DROPPED!
— Sameer Allana (@HitmanCricket) July 2, 2025

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Ankitjit Singh

Ankitjit Singh is a dedicated sports journalist whose childhood dream was to play cricket—now, he serves the game through his work. With over three years of experience in reporting, writing, and editing, he brings deep insight to his coverage. A journalism graduate from Delhi University, Ankitjit’s passion for cricket took root during his college days and continues to drive his career.