Gambhir emphasised that a young player cannot be judged on a small sample size of 4–5 games.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir on Friday (June 5) confirmed that Sai Sudharsan has not got a fair run at No.3 spot and will be preferred over Devdutt Padikkal for the one-off Test against Afghanistan, starting June 6 in Mullanpur.
Gambhir also revealed that the team is actively building depth in their spin-bowling department for the upcoming two-Test series in Sri Lanka.
India have nine Tests remaining in the ongoing World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. The Shubman Gill-led side will tour Sri Lanka (August 2026) and New Zealand (October 2026) for two Tests coach, before hosting Australia in a five-Test series in January-February 2027.
Currently holding sixth spot in the standings with just 48.15 PCT%, India have to win at least seven of the remaining nine matches to qualify for the WTC final.
"Sai Sudharsan has not got a fair chance. He played mostly in England and I believe he needs to get a fair chance," Gambhir told reporters on the eve of the Afghanistan Test, which isn’t part of the ongoing WTC cycle.
"We can (only) pick 11 (players) and Sai isn't in bad form. He scored 700 runs in IPL. If we judge Sai on basis of 4-5 games we will never be able to build something," he added.
With Ravindra Jadeja rested, Kuldeep Yadav will lead India’s spin attack against Afghanistan. Axar Patel is also missing the squad, leaving Kuldeep alongside Washington Sundar and two newcomers Manav Suthar and Harsh Dubey.
Keeping the Sri Lanka series in mind, Gambhir stressed the need to prepare multiple spin bowling options.
"Manav and Harsh are to a certain extent similar but different also in terms of release points. This match gives us a chance to determine our fourth spinner as we will take four spinners in Sri Lanka," the head coach said.
"We will need to prepare differently when we go to New Zealand. So, we will pull out a few ODI regulars who play Tests. We understand we need to prepare better for Tests," he remarked.
Following Rishabh Pant's removal as Test vice-captain, Gambhir reaffirmed his full backing for the explosive wicketkeeper-batter. However, he noted that international cricket requires Pant to "respect match situations" and read the game state more effectively.
"We don't want Rishabh Pant to change but international cricket demands players to respect match situations," Gambhir said.
(With PTI Inputs)