Team India prospect Sai Sudharsan will be sidelined for several weeks after sustaining a rib fracture while representing Tamil Nadu in the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy. The left-handed batter has been undergoing recovery and rehabilitation at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru since December 29.
Reports by India Today state that Sai experienced pain on his right side after a diving effort while fielding during the group-stage match against Madhya Pradesh in Ahmedabad. The injury appears to have worsened a previous rib impact he had sustained during a practice session ahead of the tournament.
He missed Tamil Nadu’s matches against Karnataka and Jharkhand at the end of 2025 as scans confirmed a fracture to his seventh rib. This setback rules him out for the rest of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, with his return expected only after several weeks of rehabilitation.
“Medical staff have begun a carefully structured rehabilitation plan, with Sudharsan focusing initially on lower-body strength and conditioning while his rib is protected to facilitate healing. Once acute symptoms have settled over the next 7–10 days, upper-body training is expected to be introduced and gradually intensified in a phased programme designed to restore full fitness,” the report reads.
With Sai Sudharsan currently out of Team India’s white-ball plans, he was primarily expected to focus on domestic cricket until the 2026 IPL season with the Gujarat Titans (GT). After clinching the Orange Cap in the previous IPL, he had earned a call-up to India’s Test squad ahead of the England tour.
The youngster, however, has struggled to make a mark in red-ball cricket while trying to secure the No.3 spot. His last outing for the national team came in the second Test against South Africa in Guwahati, where he scored 15 and 14 in the first and second innings, respectively.
Sai Sudharsan scored three fifties in his last four domestic matches
The Tamil Nadu batter had a difficult start to the 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT), managing just 27 runs in his first four innings. He bounced back strongly, however, finishing the tournament with scores of 64 and 101 against Jharkhand and Saurashtra, respectively.
In the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy, he began with a quick 48 off as many balls against Puducherry, followed by a 51-run knock from 53 deliveries against Madhya Pradesh before sustaining an injury.
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