Follow UsComfortably sitting at the top of the points table, Gujarat Titans are eyeing a top-two finish for a spot in the playoffs. The duo of Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan have taken the mantle of being the best opening pair of the competition, while their bowling unit, led by M Prasidh Krishna, has been spitting fire. In that context, only one question mark remained prior to the knockouts - their middle-order, which hadn't performed as well as it would have liked.
That changed on Thursday (May 22, 2025), as Shahrukh Khan stepped up to the plate and took the side close in the run-chase against Lucknow Super Giants, but in vain. His 57 off 29 balls couldn’t do the trick, as GT succumbed to a 33-run loss.
However, Sai Sudharsan refused to believe that their middle-order batting is a concern.
"After the first three wickets, our middle order batted really well and brought the game on course," Sai Sudharsan said at his post-match press conference. "From there, having four overs, 54 runs on the board, I think any other day we would have got those runs for the team.
"I feel the middle order has done pretty well. Even in the first 6, 7, 8 games, Sherfane stepped up and got so many runs in the middle order and changed games for us. Even in Mumbai, he changed the course of the game for us.
"Even Shahrukh Bhai got an opportunity today to showcase his talent. So I feel the middle order is on course as well. I don't think there is some gap or something in the middle order. I feel, touch wood, things went well for all three batters at the top, so they didn't get more opportunity to play in the first half of the tournament."
The 2022 champions have had a stellar run in the IPL over the last four years, barring 2024. Sudharsan asserted that they are keen on addressing any gaps and being fully prepared for the playoffs.
“There are a lot of experiences and learnings in these 13 games. I think we keep on filling the gaps wherever we feel like, and I think we’ll be ready for the playoffs. It doesn’t mean that we are not that great, we are not on par because we lost this game. I feel a lot of good things happened in the game, this game as well.
“I think we focus on that and improve the negative points, and move forward for the next game. And I think it’s a great, great opportunity for the middle-order also to get an opportunity before the play-offs, and when it matters the most, I think we’ll give our best. I think we take it step-by-step.
“IPL is that kind of a league where we can’t experiment even if we qualify early in the tournament. So I think you cannot experiment on trying a lot of different things in the middle-order,” he said.
Sudharsan, who has 1,957 first-class runs at an average of 39.93, has been picked for the India A squad for the tour of England. Depending on his performance there, he is well-positioned to take Rohit Sharma’s spot in the Test side. However, he doesn’t want to think too far ahead and remains focused on the IPL for now.
“Once that story is over, then we can probably think about the India-A story, but definitely happy for that opportunity and I think I would have a great time there,” the Tamil Nadu batter said about playing for India A.