Indian batter Sai Sudharsan was seen agitated by some remark made by English opener Ben Duckett after his dismissal at the stroke of Stumps on Day 2.
India and England are featuring in the final Test of a long 5-match series between the two teams, which has witnessed intense cricket action as well as tense moments marking heated exchanges between players.
The Shubman Gill-Zak Crawley banter had taken the internet by storm, as there were several comments either supporting or disapproving of the incident that occurred at Lord’s. Englishmen also gave it back to the Indians with intense sledging during the batting innings.
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It was followed by Ben Stokes and Ravindra Jadeja’s handshake row controversy, which ended up as a massive blow to the sportsmanship shown by the England team. After these incidents, the final Test is supposed to undergo such situations, as the action builds late on Day 2.
Sai Sudharsan engages in an intense battle of words with the English opener
Indian first-down batter Sai Sudharsan hasn’t had the best of outings in England, as he made his Test debut for India in the first Test at Headingley. Playing conditions might have been tough, but not new to the ex-Surrey batter, who has played a successful County season on English soil.
Especially, Sudharsan’s ability should not have been tested at The Oval, considering he has played most of his games for Surrey at this venue and should have been well aware of the ground’s dynamics.
Despite that, he was dismissed early on both occasions of the Oval Test, not scoring a total of 50 runs across both innings. After Sai was dismissed LBW by English pacer Gus Atkinson, he wasted an Indian review before walking off the pitch.
On his way back to the Indian dressing room, he probably overheard Ben Duckett say something provocative as he approached the English opener with rage, and the two had an intense exchange of words, with Harry Brook probably looking to calm Duckett on this occasion to avoid any further controversies.
Watch the Incident Unfold here:
Some Heated words exchange with Ben Ducket and Sai Sudarshan, c’mon Sai perform and then speak.#INDvsENG #Saisudarshan #BenDuckett pic.twitter.com/OifqJhFxeL
— Pawan Mathur (@ImMathur03) August 1, 2025
Sai Sudharsan continues with a weak form in England
After Sai Sudharsan’s heated exchange with the England batter, many have urged him to first show performance with the bat and then aggression.
Sai Sudharsan’s performance has not been as desired by the Indian management or the fans, especially after he was picked following a successful IPL season where he ended as the highest scorer in the tournament, surpassing the likes of skipper Shubman Gill and veteran Virat Kohli.
Sai Sudharsan has been picked as India’s new no. 3 as skipper, Shubman Gill took a new role as a no. 4 batter in the Test side after Virat Kohli announced his retirement. Sudharsan first played the Leeds Test and followed it with appearances in Manchester and now at The Oval.
In 6 innings, he has scored just 140 runs with one half-century that came in the first innings at Old Trafford. However, to add to his dismay, Sai Sudharsan has 2 ducks in the 6 innings and averages just 23.33. On the other hand, his confronter, Ben Duckett, has scored 408 runs in 8 innings and has averaged 51.00 with a blistering strike rate.
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Ben Duckett’s lacklustre chat with Akash Deep post dismissal
English opener Ben Duckett has remained an engaging character in the last game of the long series. Having developed a strange contest with Indian bowler Akash Deep, their competitiveness with the bat and ball had entertained all on Day 2 of the 5th Test.
Duckett has played another stunning and quickfire knock to hand England an early advantage until lunch. Duckett’s 43 came in no time as he dared to reverse scoop Akash Deep and hit Siraj with a standing scoop shot.
However, Akash Deep had the last laugh when he dismissed Duckett, who attempted to play another switch scoop against the pacer. After the dismissal, Akash Deep was seen smiling and having a chat with Duckett as he walked the left-hander off the ground.
