Few players have had a more stop-start 2026 than Sai Sudharsan, one of India’s most promising top-order batters.
The Rib Fracture
In December 2025, Sudharsan fractured the anterior cortex of his seventh rib while diving to complete a run for Tamil Nadu in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, an area already tender from a blow taken in a net session days earlier. The injury sidelined him for over a month but healed in time for IPL 2026, where he remained a key Gujarat Titans player.
The Toe Injury
- Sustained during the second unofficial Test on the India A tour of Sri Lanka
- Ruled him out of India’s two-Test series in Sri Lanka in August, with Devdutt Padikkal stepping in at number three
- The medical team took a deliberately cautious approach, mindful of Harshit Rana’s re-injury after a rushed comeback earlier in the year
Where Things Stand Now
As of late September, Sudharsan’s return to competitive cricket is drawing closer, with a reported recall as a reserve opener for India’s series against Australia A. Whether he displaces Padikkal, who impressed in Sri Lanka, remains an open selection question.
The Bigger Picture
His situation is one of several covered in our broader look at Indian cricketers missing out through injury in 2026, and his path back into the XI ties into the competition for middle-order places discussed in our piece on players who lost their spot.