The Making of Sai Sudharsan, the Newest Test Cap

SHORTLY before lunch on Day One of the first Test, the moment was finally here. B Sai Sudharsan, wearing his India whites, was striding out to the playing strip at Headingley.

- GOMESH S @Chennai

There were other options, but the Indian management had seen what they had liked not just in the nets over the last 10 days but also with his aptitude, attitude, and work ethic.

Coming on the back of a stellar IPL season, where he finished as the leading run-scorer, it might be easy to assume that he has been picked based on his T20 performance. However, that is not entirely the case. His rise to the top is more about the potential he has and how he has made the most of every chance that has come his way, irrespective of the format, opponent, or conditions right from his early days.

Former India cricketer Hemang Badani remembers the days he spent watching him train. "He played a lot of age-group cricket with my son," Badani recalled in an interaction with this daily facilitated by Sony Sports Network. "They went to the same academy for practice. I have seen him at the same time at the academy and also the academy matches," he added.