Sai Sudharsan Joins Unwanted List: THESE Indian Players Were Dropped After Test Debut

After a stunning IPL 2025, all eyes ahead of the India-England Test series were on Sai Sudharsan, whose Test debut was highly anticipated. However, Sudharsan’s career started off in the worst manner imaginable, with him registering a duck in his first innings. He was expected to bounce back emphatically, but in a twist that very few saw coming, the youngster has now been DROPPED by the side for the second Test at Edgbaston.

Sudharsan, however, is not the first Indian player to have been dropped after his Test debut. We look at four such players who endured the same fate as Sudharsan.

Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav made his Test debut in 2023 in the Nagpur Test against Australia, and it was not a debut that was well received, with many criticising the Rahul Dravid-led management for picking players based on white-ball form. Suryakumar scored 8 off 20 balls before being cleaned up by Nathan Lyon.

Suryakumar was immediately dropped for the second Test in Delhi, has not played a Test ever since.

Naman Ojha

Remember Naman Ojha, the dashing wicket-keeper batter from Madhya Pradesh? He made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2015 under Virat Kohli.

He actually did well batting at No.7, posting scores of 21 & 35, stringing together valuable partnerships with Stuart Binny. 

However, he never played another Test for India again, as Wriddhiman Saha returned to take his place.

Karn Sharma

India's most left-field debuts this entire century. Karn Sharma played the Adelaide Test against Australia in 2014, in Kohli’s first-ever Test as captain, ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin. It was not a selection that was received well.

Karn took four wickets in the match, but he conceded 238 runs in the process, and went at an economy of 4.85. 

Unsurprisingly, he never played a Test for India again.

Vinay Kumar

After toiling hard in the domestic circuit, Vinay Kumar deservedly made his Test debut in 2012, in the Perth Test against Australia. 

It turned out to be a forgettable debut for the Karnataka bowler, who registered figures of 13-0-73-1. He was taken apart by David Warner, who in that clash smashed a century inside a session, post-tea on day one. 

Australia ended up winning the game by an innings & 37 runs.

Why there is still hope for Sudharsan

None of these players went on to play another Test for India, but there’s still hope for Sudharsan. Recently, Devdutt Padikkal made his Test debut against England last year, and then was left out for the next five Tests India played. However, he still bounced back and got back into the team in the BGT Test in Perth.

Akash Deep was also dropped after his impressive Test debut, and then he played six more Tests for India, with the current Edgbaston Test being his eighth.