diff --git a/src/csharp/Grpc.Core.Tests/Internal/AsyncCallTest.cs b/src/csharp/Grpc.Core.Tests/Internal/AsyncCallTest.cs
index 961b75c0b51..775849d89b6 100644
--- a/src/csharp/Grpc.Core.Tests/Internal/AsyncCallTest.cs
+++ b/src/csharp/Grpc.Core.Tests/Internal/AsyncCallTest.cs
@@ -124,6 +124,24 @@ namespace Grpc.Core.Internal.Tests
             Assert.IsTrue(fakeCall.IsDisposed);
         }
 
+        [Test]
+        public void SyncUnary_RequestSerializationExceptionDoesntLeakResources()
+        {
+            string nullRequest = null;  // will throw when serializing
+            Assert.Throws(typeof(ArgumentNullException), () => asyncCall.UnaryCall(nullRequest));
+            Assert.AreEqual(0, channel.GetCallReferenceCount());
+            Assert.IsTrue(fakeCall.IsDisposed);
+        }
+
+        [Test]
+        public void SyncUnary_StartCallFailureDoesntLeakResources()
+        {
+            fakeCall.MakeStartCallFail();
+            Assert.Throws(typeof(InvalidOperationException), () => asyncCall.UnaryCall("request1"));
+            Assert.AreEqual(0, channel.GetCallReferenceCount());
+            Assert.IsTrue(fakeCall.IsDisposed);
+        }
+
         [Test]
         public void ClientStreaming_StreamingReadNotAllowed()
         {
diff --git a/src/csharp/Grpc.Core.Tests/Internal/FakeNativeCall.cs b/src/csharp/Grpc.Core.Tests/Internal/FakeNativeCall.cs
index 42536dd0c1a..ef67918dabb 100644
--- a/src/csharp/Grpc.Core.Tests/Internal/FakeNativeCall.cs
+++ b/src/csharp/Grpc.Core.Tests/Internal/FakeNativeCall.cs
@@ -109,6 +109,7 @@ namespace Grpc.Core.Internal.Tests
 
         public void StartUnary(BatchContextSafeHandle ctx, byte[] payload, WriteFlags writeFlags, MetadataArraySafeHandle metadataArray, CallFlags callFlags)
         {
+            StartCallMaybeFail();
             throw new NotImplementedException();
         }