India, June 19 -- No.3 continues to be a mystery in India's batting lineup. At a time when most top teams prefer to announce their entire XI on the eve of the Test match, India were not ready to even announce who would bat at No.3 in the first Test against England at Headingley in Leeds, starting Friday. India's new captain, Shubman Gill, refused to confirm the No.3 batter in the pre-match press conference on Thursday, leaving the fans, pundits and even the opposition guessing.

The battle appears to be between Sai Sudharsan and Karun Nair. Sudharsan is yet to make his Test debut, while it would not be short of a second debut for Nair, who last played for India almost nine years ago.

With an average of 39.93 in 29 first-class matches, Su...