Follow UsFormer Tamil Nadu (TN) coach Sulakshan Kulkarni questioned the technique of his former pupil, Sai Sudharsan, who received his maiden Test call-up for India, after he was selected for India’s tour of England.
Kulkarni, who coached the TN side in 2023-24, gave examples of how Sudharsan, as a batter, was not able to handle seam bowling during his stint.
“His domestic record is not great. When I was the coach, I saw him play on a seaming track in at least two matches. And he didn’t play well there. His technique against the moving ball needs to improve,” Kulkarni was quoted as saying by TOI.
Describing what is wrong with Sudharsan’s technique, Kulkarni said: “He has a tendency to play away from the body, while the secret to success in England is to play late and play the ball right under your nose. He has to curb some of his strokes and should play straight and close to the body. He has to work to get the technique right before the tour.”
To his credit, Kulkarni is right in the sense that, after eight innings in England for Surrey, Sudharsan has an average of 35.13 with just one fifty and one hundred.
However, in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, playing for Gujarat Titans (GT), Sudharsan has been in the best of his form, scoring 679 runs in 14 games and holding on to the Orange Cap.