B Sai Sudharsan will not take the field on the third morning of the Delhi Test against the West Indies after a painful – though apparently minor – knock to the helmet late on Saturday.
The incident arrived in the eighth over of the tourists’ reply. Stationed at forward short-leg, Sudharsan “caught” John Campbell’s vigorous slog-sweep off Ravindra Jadeja, the ball thudding into the grille before lodging under his arm. The catch stood, Campbell trudged off, but India immediately lost their substitute No. 3.
A brief statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India calmed nerves in the home camp: “the injury is not serious, and he is doing fine,” while adding, “He continues to be monitored by the BCCI medical team.” No decision has been taken on whether Sudharsan will bat again should India be required to set a fourth-innings target.
Before the blow-up, the left-hander had played his part in another hefty Indian first-innings. His 87 from 165 balls, laced with 12 fours, underpinned a 193-run stand with Yashasvi Jaiswal. Jaiswal’s brisk 175 and an unbeaten 129 from Shubman Gill propelled Rohit Sharma to a declaration at 518 for five, a total that already looks bulky enough to push the series scoreline to 2-0.
West Indies closed the second evening still 452 runs adrift and minus their attacking opener. Jadeja’s dismissal of Campbell was the first of three strikes for India’s spinners during a tidy final session, and the absence of Sudharsan’s close-in reflexes was not felt too deeply.
Former India physio John Gloster, speaking on television, suggested the protocol was straightforward. “Any direct hit on the helmet, even if the player feels okay, demands at least 24 hours of observation,” he noted, explaining that concussion symptoms can drift in overnight. “A day off the park is precautionary, not punitive.”
There is precedent. Several players – Marnus Labuschagne most famously – have returned after similar scares. Should Sudharsan still feel groggy, a like-for-like concussion substitute is available under ICC regulations, but India will be keen to keep alterations minimal on a pitch already offering variable bounce.
For now, team-mates and supporters will be relieved the verdict is positive. India may have mislaid a close-in fielder for a day, yet they appear to have retained an important young batter for the longer haul.
