Kris Srikkanth has called out Gautam Gambhir for his previous statement on Sai Sudharsan and questioned how the team management can drop Devdutt Padikkal following his dream run in the Sri Lanka series. The former India chief selector added that Gambhir has no work during the Sri Lanka series as they are a “bad” side. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth said: “Gambhir has no work. How can you replace Padikkal going forward with the 200+ runs he has scored in the first Test? Gambhir just says something, and anyway he has no work in the Sri Lankan series because Sri Lanka is a bad side and India will surely win. He’ll jump after winning against sides like Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.”

“I am not trying to be harsh on Gambhir. He was a good player and is a good reader of the game. But he can be a bit more communicative. He was very effective as a player, though,” he added.

Gambhir backed Sudharsan to be India’s long-term number three batter before the one-off Test against Afghanistan. The left-handed batter has scored 383 runs in seven Tests. His tally includes three half-centuries.

Sai Sudharsan suffered a toe injury and he was ruled out of the Sri Lanka series. The left-handed batter slammed back-to-back centuries for India A against Sri Lanka A in the unofficial Test series and warmed up well for the fixtures. But the injury ruled him out.

Devdutt Padikkal, who had played his previous Test in November 2024, returned to the playing XI and slammed a century in the first Test.

Padikkal continued his purple patch and slammed another century in the second Test as well. Padikkal looks set to retain his spot in the playing XI but he might have to bat at number six. India lead the two-match Test series 1-0.

Disclaimer: This article summarizes a report by Kris Srikkanth. While Times Now has verified the public data presented, the interpretations of ‘intent’ remain those of the creator.