Bengaluru – A week out from another crack at South Africa A, B Sai Sudharsan sounds more relaxed than you might expect from a young batter still getting his head round Test cricket. The 23-year-old has been named vice-captain for two unofficial four-dayers and is happy to talk about technique, opportunity and – most of all – the reassurance he has drawn from India head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Key facts first. Sudharsan’s opening Test tour in England produced 140 runs at 23.33. In the first match back home, against West Indies in Ahmedabad, he scraped seven before edging behind. The pressure meter was edging up. Then came a practice session at the Feroz Shah Kotla where Gambhir pulled him aside.
“The support has been impeccable,” Sudharsan says. “After the first game in Ahmedabad, we were practising at the Feroz Shah Kotla nets. As always, I was the last to come out of the nets. GG sir called me and said, ‘You are not getting desperate. You are one of the best players in the country. So do not think about any of the other things. Don’t think that you have to score runs in this game or what will happen if you don’t.’”
The coach then delivered the line Sudharsan keeps replaying. “He told me, ‘You will play.’ The way he said that gave me so much confidence and freedom.”
That small chat, the left-hander insists, changed his mindset in Delhi. Instead of guarding his wicket, he went looking for the game. Scores of 87 and 39 followed as India wrapped up the series 2–0.
“I wasn’t in a mindset just to get runs, I was in a mindset to fight and win for the team, to dominate for the team,” he explains.
Those are handy numbers but hardly cement a place in a packed India order. Sudharsan knows it and prefers not to think too far ahead.
“I take it game by game, inning by inning, look at the situation, and react as best as I can,” he says. “Playing for India, there’s so much competition. So many great cricketers who have done well, are doing well, and will continue to do well. I’m not looking at a spot to cement or thinking about securing a place. I’m playing for a reason and that is to win games and fight for my team.”
He acknowledges that dwelling on careers or averages drags his focus inward. “When I think about sealing a spot or playing for safety, I tend to go defensive and play for myself, which I definitely don’t want to do.”
The No. 3 brief
For Tamil Nadu he has opened most of his innings, yet India like him at first drop. The change, he reckons, is small on paper but huge in tempo.
“It’s a great responsibility, and I’m grateful for the opportunity,” Sudharsan says. “No. 3 is also like an opening spot. There’s not a big difference, to be honest. But playing for India, wherever we get an opportunity, we have to be on point, not just fill a place but be really ready for whichever spot we play.”
He cites KL Rahul as the model – a player who has done virtually every job in the order and kept wicket when asked. “We have great examples. Like KL [Rahul] bhai, who has played in almost all positions and is so versatile.”
Technical tweaks
There is, of course, the practical side. Moving from the hard Kookaburra back to the Dukes this English summer forced some changes; now the red SG in India behaves differently again. Sudharsan shrugs. “New ball, old ball – the basics stay. Balance, watching the seam, trying to leave well.”
Analyst B Arun, who worked with him at Tamil Nadu under-19 level, points to Sudharsan’s “repeatable” set-up. “He doesn’t lunge after length. That buys him time, especially abroad,” Arun says. “What he’s still working on is tempo once he’s 30 not out. The Delhi innings showed glimpses.”
Selection jigsaw
With a full-strength squad, India rarely lack top-order options. Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are already jostling; Rahul himself is pushing for a middle-order return. A few quiet Tests could see Sudharsan shuffled out.
National selector SS Das, speaking off the record, isn’t making promises. “The England tour was a start. We liked the intent. The ‘A’ games in South Africa are the next step. After that, who knows? It’s down to performance.”
South Africa A challenge
The Paarl and Bloemfontein wickets are expected to be quicker than the usual Indian surfaces, though still not quite the Centurion pace Sudharsan faced in age-group cricket. He seems unfazed.
“You want different questions,” he says. “Otherwise you stop growing.”
The last word
Gambhir, through a team spokesperson, declined to expand on the private net-session chat. He did offer one short reflection: “Young players need honesty. Sudharsan has the game. The rest is up to him.”
Straight, much like the advice Sudharsan is trying to stick with.
