Follow UsIn a game Delhi Capitals desperately needed to win to strengthen their chances of qualification for the IPL 2025 playoffs, their batters did everything right. Led by an effervescent century from KL Rahul, Delhi posted 199 runs, but it turned out to be one-way traffic from thereon. The Gujarat Titans' opening duo of Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan forged their second 200-run partnership to take the 2022 champions to the playoffs alongside Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
However, Gill conceded that during the halfway point, he thought the wicket was sluggish enough to restrict the opposition within 185-190 instead of giving away almost 200 runs.
"Honestly, at the halfway point, I thought we gave 10 to 15 extra," Gill said in the post-match interview. "There was a little bit of grip for the spinners. They [Delhi Capitals] batted well, kept wickets in hand and utilised the wicket pretty well. When we went out to bat, the talk was to just try and play good cricket shots, and once we were in the flow, we can take the game from there."
The partnership between Gill and Sudharsan has yielded 839 runs already, with the duo sitting comfortably at the top two spots of the Orange Cap table, with 617 and 601 runs respectively. When asked about their approach to the run-chase, Sudharsan suggested that they planned to take the game deep and not be in a hurry to close the game.
"There's a bit of joy when you finish games for the team," Sai Sudharsan said. "In the break we got, I was thinking on that [finishing games] a bit more. Between overs 7-10, they bowled really well. The momentum went down a bit.
"We wanted to take the game deep, didn't want to be desperate to take a lot of chances, have a cool enough mindset to take the game deep. And we got two or three big overs that changed the game. In the previous games, I took chances and got out. Here, I was aware enough to take the game deep, and take my chances against the right match-ups.
"When I got after the bowlers, he complements me, we rotate strike and run really well," he said. "In the middle overs, running is vital thing for us. When I do some mistakes, he makes me aware and similarly, from my side as well."
In what can be a possible breakthrough moment in his career, Sudharsan has been picked in the India A side for the tour of England. With Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retiring from the Test format, the Tamil Nadu batter seems like one of the most plausible responses for a slot in the red-ball side. The maturity he has shown in the IPL bodes well for his progress too.
"I've started to believe a bit more. From my mindset point of view, the belief I have has gotten better to take the game deeper and win games. I've expanded my batting, explored my batting, mentally I'm a bit more free and expressive."