Follow UsRising Indian Premier League (IPL) star Sai Sudharsan revealed who his idol growing up was, and it was no left-hander, but rather a right-handed batter from his own state-Tamil Nadu.
“I would say of late, I've been watching a lot of Murali Vijay's videos, and I'm trying to get that feeling out of it because I love the way he moves and the way he bats,” Sudharsan said in an interview with The Times of India (TOI).
Sudharsan has been one of the most consistent batters in the league, and even in IPL 2025, he has scores of 74, 63 and 49 in his first three matches. Yet, despite such great form, he was never amongst the players to be the first-choice opener for the national team. So what are Sudharsan's plans to get back into the mix of first-choice Indian openers?
“India has great talent and there are quality openers and top-order batters. I focus on myself and try to improve whatever skills I can improve to be a better batter of my own version so that whenever I get an opportunity, whenever I play for the country I'll be equipped for that,” said the 23-year-old, who has already debuted for the Men in Blue and appeared in three ODIs and solitary T20I.
Talking about the importance of money, Sudharsan, who has jumped from an INR 20 Lakh contract to an INR 8.5 Cr retainer for the Titans, said that it has played a huge role in his life.
“I feel that gives me more freedom. I feel it's all about cricket from now on. It's all about expressing what I want to do. It's all about exploring and giving my best to the team rather than thinking about what I will do to earn money. So, I feel that part of my life has been taken care of,” said the Chennai-born.