Ind vs Eng 1st Test: BCCI slammed for 'favouritism' as domestic star misses out on debut

Sai Sudharsan was out for a duck in his Test debut against England in the first innings of the first Test at Leeds on Friday.

Sudharsan was dismissed by  England captain Ben Stokes as he nicked a delivery which was going down the leg and wicketkeeper Jamie Smith grabbed a brilliant catch.

However, several fans were mot happy in Sudharsan's inclusion in the playing XI at the expense of Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran, who was once again overlooked despite piling runs in domestic cricket.

Many fans blasted the BCCI for giving preferences to IPL talents.

"I feel bad for Abhimanyu Easwaran, he was not given a chance again today, before him Sai Sudarshan was given a chance, whereas Easwaran is consistently performing better than Sudarshan in domestic cricket," wrote a fan on social media account X (earlier known as Twitter).

"Abhimanyu Easwaran deserved a chance in 1st match. BCCI is treating him like untouchable. IPL can't be criteria for selection in tests," wrote another fan.

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"It's just a social media pressure that's why BCCI picked Abhimanyu Easwaran in the team. He is never going to get a game for India in near future. He was benched in Australia and will continue to do so in other SENA countries. BCCI thinks he can only survive in Indian pitches," commented a third user.