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As India gears up to face Afghanistan in a one-off Test match on Wednesday, their major headache is that the number three batting position remains unsolved. There have been several key inform players who are battling for that spot, including Dhruv Jurel, Devdutt Padikkal, and Sai Sudharsan. Among them, the latter two are the frontrunners for the position. 

In the recent pre-match conference, Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir shed some light on this matter and revealed that players in the final playing XI deserve their fair chance for this match. Gambhir further added that making and finalising a proper unit takes time, difficult decisions, especially when several talented players are competing for the same spot. 

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Gautam Gambhir spoke about Sai Sudharsan’s batting form and stated that the left-hander is really not in a bad patch; he is coming after a brilliant IPL campaign. 

During the pre-match conference, Gambhir said: 

"Honestly, Sai hasn't got a fair chance. He has only played a handful of Test matches and he started his Test career in England, which we all know is not the easiest place [to bat in]. He has had a phenomenal run in the IPL as well, and we have got to give him a fair chance." 

"You can only pick XI, unfortunately. Sometimes you just have to wait for your opportunity. I've always believed that guys who we are going to play, we give them a fair run," he said. "And again, Sai is not in bad form either. He has got, what, 700 [722] runs in IPL. If judging players by only four or five Test matches is good enough, then I feel that we will never be able to build something.”

However, Gambhir said that Padikkal will get his fair chance whenever the opportunity knocks at his door. The Team India head coach further said that management wants to give proper chances to players to prove their quality at the international level. 

On Devdutt Padikkal, Gambhir said: 

"So, hopefully, he [Padikkal] will get his chance. Whenever his time comes, we'll give him a fair run as well. It's not about giving someone five Test matches and someone else one Test match. If we give someone a fair run, we'll give the other guy whenever he gets the opportunity comes a fair run as well." 

India last played their Test match against South Africa, where they were whitewashed by a 0-2 margin at their own home ground. So this match will not only be crucial from a preparation scenario but from the upcoming red-ball series lined up for the team.