'He is an all-format cricketer' - Ravi Shastri wants India to include Gujarat Titans' batter for England tour

The former India head coach Ravi Shastri has said that he wanted Sai Sudharsan to be part of the Indian Test squad for the Test series in England after the IPL 2025. The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that the left-hander is a "class" player and has knowledge of English conditions.

Notably, he Gujarat Titans (GT) opener have performed in the English soil in the County Championship for Surrey for the past two years. Meanwhile, India will tour England for a five-match Test series, to be played from June to August. India will wear the whites for the first time since the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy loss in Australia. 

“I see this young man, Sai Sudharsan, for all formats of the game. He seems like a class player, and my eyes would certainly be on him. Being a left-hander in England, knowing English conditions and just his technique, the way he plays, I think he’ll be top of the list for me from the outsiders wanting to get into this side," Shastri said on ICC Review.

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Not restrict him to white-ball: Shastri

The former Indian legend also insisted on including a left-arm pacer in the Test squad. He pointed out to bring in Arshdeep Singh and advised India to not restrict the left-armer to white-ball cricket.

“I’ll be looking for a left-armer. I’ll be keeping an eye on which left-armer is in good form and try and squeeze him in there as the sixth (bowling) option. It could be anyone. It could even be a white-ball specialist," Shastri said.

“I don’t like this thing when they say someone like Arshdeep Singh is a ‘white-ball specialist’. I’ll keep a close eye on his red-ball record as well and the number of overs he bowls," he added.

The series between India and England will commence on June 20 at Headingley.