Sai Sudharsan, bought by Gujarat Titans for ₹20 lakh, shines in his ODI debut
Sai Sudharsan was acquired by Gujarat Titans for his base price of Rs20 lakh. Southpaw Sai Sudharsan burst onto the scene in the local domestic T20 league in Chennai with his nonchalant batting amassing 358 runs in eight matches at a healthy strike-rate of 143.8. A member of the Tamil Nadu senior squad across formats now, Sai Sudharsan has been truly impressive so much so that he was invited for selection by as many as six IPL franchises.
B Sai Sudharshan (55 not out off 43 balls) showed during his stay at the wicket why he is rated so highly. He made the chase look like a cakewalk. Sai reached his maiden ODI fifty in 41 balls, with eight fours.
The sinewy southpaw looked elegant and upright while driving on the up and looked strong off the back-foot, while pulling the short ball. Against spinners, he put a big stride forward, which is hallmark of a good player. The on-drive off Tabraiz Shamsi was a treat for the eyes.
One of the most exciting prospects in Indian cricket, Sudharsan received his maiden India cap from stand-in skipper KL Rahul before the traditional toss for the first ODI between India and South Africa at New Wanderers Stadium. “Looking forward to a cracker of a game. There was a of spin and it was try, we’ll try to put pressure on them. Sai Sudharsan is on debut today. There are a few names that have played a lot of IPL cricket. Ruturaj did well, Tilak seems exciting, Sanju is always exciting,” Rahul said after South Africa won the toss and opted to bat in the ODI series opener.
Sai had seasoned Shreyas Iyer (52 off 45 balls) for company, who looked in fine touch, something that augurs well for India, ahead of the upcoming Test series.
The game-defining moment was the second over of the game when Arshdeep nipped back-to-back wickets of Reeza Hendricks and Rassie van der Dussen.
Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL)
Sudharsan earned fame with his performances in this state franchise-based T20 league. Sudharsan’s name started coming up with the 2021 edition of the tournament, in which he scored 358 runs in eight matches at an average of 71.60, with five fifties and a strike rate of over 143. He finished as the second-best run-getter playing for Lyca Kovai Kings.
Over the next two seasons, he went on to score 336 runs in 10 matches at an average of 48.00, with four fifties in 2022 and 371 runs in six matches at an average of 74.20 and a strike rate of over 172, with four fifties in the 2023 season. He finished as the fourth-highest run-getter in 2022 and second-highest run-maker in the 2023 season.
Indian Premier League (IPL)
Success in the TNPL caught the attention of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises and it wasn’t long before he landed a contract worth ₹20 lakh with Gujarat Titans. The doors to the biggest T20 league in the world had been opened for the southpaw. In his first IPL season, he scored 145 runs in five games at an average of 36.25 and a strike rate of over 127, with one half-century.
The young batter gave better returns to his franchise in the 2023 season, playing the perfect anchor to batters around him. He scored 362 runs in eight matches at an average of 51.71, with a strike rate of over 141. He scored three half-centuries, including an explosive 96 off 47 balls (eight fours and six sixes) against Chennai Super Kings in the final. However, as it turned out, the inning went in vain.
Domestic cricket for Tamil Nadu, South Zone
In his debut first-class season for TN in the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy, he scored an impressive 572 runs in seven matches at an average of 47.66, with two centuries and a fifty in 12 innings. His best score was 179.
Call up to India ‘A’
In July this year, Sudarsan received his maiden call-up for India ‘A’ for the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Emerging Teams Asia Cup. In the tournament, he smashed a century against Pakistan and ended as the fourth-highest run-getter with 220 runs at an average of 73.33, with a century and fifty. His best score was 104*.
County stint with Surrey
Sudharsan got his first taste of testing English conditions with a county stint with Surrey, featuring in three County Championship matches. In three innings, he scored 116 runs, including knocks of 73 and 40 against Hampshire in a low-scoring game. He walked away with some good scores, a Division One Championship title with Surrey and most importantly, some game time in English conditions.
Sai has been prolific in first-class cricket, scoring 843 runs in 12 matches at an average of 42.15, with two tons and three fifties in 20 innings.
In List-A cricket, Sai has 1,354 runs in 26 matches at an average of 63.04, with six centuries and five fifties. His best List-A score is 154.
In T20Is, he aggregated 976 runs at an average of 37.53 and a strike rate of over 125, scoring six fifties. His best score in the shortest format is 96.
*With Agency Inputs
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Published: 17 Dec 2023, 08:27 PM IST
