Sai Sudharsan has been struck by another fitness concern, this time during Tamil Nadu’s 2026-27 Ranji Trophy season opener against Rajasthan at Jaipur, casting fresh doubt over his place in the India A squad set to tour New Zealand next month.
The problem emerged on the second day of the match, when the 24-year-old felt discomfort in the field and was unable to walk off under his own power. A member of the support staff helped him to the boundary, and the full nature of the injury is yet to be confirmed pending medical assessment.
The timing adds pressure to Sudharsan’s preparations for a three-match unofficial Test series that India A are scheduled to begin against New Zealand A on October 24 in Lincoln. He has been named in the squad alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, with Dhruv Jurel captaining the side.
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How has Sudharsan’s fitness held up through 2026?
This latest episode is part of a difficult year on the injury front for the Tamil Nadu batter. A rib problem picked up during the Vijay Hazare Trophy in January sidelined him for close to a month, disrupting his momentum at a time when he was pushing hard for a regular Test berth.
A toe stress fracture then proved more serious, ruling him out of India’s Test squad for the Sri Lanka tour entirely. Sarfaraz Khan was drafted into the squad as cover for that series, and Devdutt Padikkal used the opportunity well, pressing his claim for the number three position with two centuries across the tour.
Sudharsan’s rehabilitation from the toe injury ran for over two months. He worked his way back through India A commitments, appearing in two unofficial Tests against Australia A and then joining the three-match unofficial ODI series held in Puducherry. He sat out the third one-day fixture of that Australia A series to return to Tamil Nadu’s Ranji Trophy campaign, and it was during that very appearance that the new concern arose.
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What does the India A itinerary look like and what are the next steps?
India A’s three-match unofficial Test series against New Zealand A runs across three venues and three weeks. The opening game starts on October 24 in Lincoln, the second match gets under way on October 31 in Christchurch, and the third and final fixture is scheduled to begin on November 7, back in Lincoln.
Whether Sudharsan travels will depend on the outcome of the medical review of his latest injury. No official statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India has been issued, and no replacement has been announced at this stage.
India A squad for the New Zealand series:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Smaran, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Dhruv Jurel (captain and wicketkeeper), Washington Sundar, Auqib Nabi, Akash Deep, Anshul Kamboj, Manav Suthar, Mukesh Choudhary, Sai Sudharsan, Yash Rathod and Mukesh Kumar.
