Follow UsOver the last four IPL seasons, Sai Sudharsan has gone from an emerging player to a reliable run bank, playing a crucial role in Gujarat Titans’ success. The left-hander has already posted some incredible numbers in the IPL, scoring 1220 runs at 48.80 while still striking at 141.70.
During his time with GT, the southpaw has also built a meaningful partnership with Shubman Gill at the top of the order, averaging 62.7. The pair registered a 210-run partnership last year against Chennai Super Kings, showing their incredible camaraderie.
Sudharsan opened up about his partnership with Gill, stating that he’s learning a lot from the seasoned veteran in terms of game awareness.
“My bond with Shubman [Gill] is really good. It's getting stronger every day, and I'm learning a lot from him in terms of batting, game awareness, and the conversations we have during practice and on the field. I think he has taught me a lot, and I'm continuously trying to improve along those lines,” Sudharsan told the Times of India.
The Chennai-born has shown absolute form in the powerplay as an opener, smashing 350 runs, averaging 87.5, with just four dismissals. Sudharsan reckoned that having someone as explosive as Jos Buttler at No.3 has allowed the left-hander to play his natural game.
“To be honest, when I first heard that I was opening, I was really happy. And I also gained a bit more confidence from them giving me that responsibility, especially when we have an explosive opener like Jos Buttler,” he added.
“It gave me a lot of confidence and freedom, knowing that we have a lot of batting depth and experienced batters coming after me. So, I feel that has given me more freedom to express myself.”
Sudharsan has already been fast-tracked to India’s limited-overs setup, with four appearances across the two white-ball formats. But the Test dream is still alive.
“Obviously, the dream is to play Test cricket. I think you have to dream really big to achieve what you want to achieve. Right now, I'm taking baby steps and thinking about the IPL, but why not? Definitely, I would love to equip myself to play in those conditions and do my best for the country,” he reckoned.
The Tamil Nadu man got a glimpse of playing in alien conditions when he was picked for India ‘A’ setup for the tour Down Under, where he scored a 103 in MacKay.
“The exposure we get when we play outside India is invaluable because we have a maximum of 5-7 days to adjust and try to score runs. So, I feel the adaptability aspect, in terms of how the wicket is behaving and how the conditions are, is improving. When you bring that to India, going from Chennai to play in Delhi or other parts of the country, I feel the adaptability we learned there helps us a lot here.”