Sai Sudharsan: Hitting the high notes across formats

Had it not been for an ill-timed injury, Sai Sudharsan, and not Devdutt Padikkal, would have played the Dharmsala Test against England. The national selectors were keen to reward Sudharsan’s impressive run of scores -- he made a fifty and a hundred for India A against England Lions.

Setbacks don’t deter the stylish left-hander from Tamil Nadu. With his 25th IPL innings, a match-winning 103 for Gujarat Titans against Chennai Super Kings on Friday, the batter became the fastest Indian to surpass 1,000 runs in IPL. That’s six fewer innings than Sachin Tendulkar and Ruturaj Gaikwad.

T20 has never been only about runs. In three seasons for GT, Sudharsan averages 47, striking at 139. In his first year for GT, he showed glimpses of his potential. From being more proficient against spin, he demonstrated that he could go hard against high pace. Soon, from a strike-rate of 127 in the first year he began striking at 141. There may be batters who are more explosive, but few are as consistent as he is.

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Sudharsan’s game is made for a broader canvas, not just T20. Vikram Solanki, director of cricket at Titans clearly saw that. That is why the former Surrey coach helped facilitate a county contract for Sudharsan last year. It was a short stint but Sudharsan was among runs straightaway with a 73 in a strong Surrey side which had many England internationals and tasted Championship success.

Last year, he earned his India cap in ODIs in South Africa, and scored two impressive fifties. At 22, he shows he is in a hurry.

That’s also because success did not come to him instantly in his U19 days. He pushed hard but missed selection to the Indian side for the 2020 T20 World Cup where Yashasvi Jaiswal made a name. Sudharsan was part of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) junior programmes; he scored in the TNPL (Tamil Nadu Premier League), but CSK never went for him in the IPL auction. To show how far he has travelled, Sudharsan hit his first IPL hundred on Friday, against CSK with MS Dhoni watching from behind the wicket. His 46-ball 97 in last year’s IPL final also came against CSK.

What is it about scoring heavily against CSK, Ravi Shastri asked Sudharsan during the broadcast. “Nothing related to Chennai, I am just trying to give my best every game, this game was even more special for me,” he replied in his understated way.

He began by lofting Shardul Thakur for six over cover, the high held elbow and on one knee. As his innings progressed, there was plenty of improvisation and slog-sweeps against spin. Even in a previous match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sudharsan’s 49-ball 84* contained equally impressive strokes. Just that it was overshadowed by Will Jacks’ power-hitting. It is T20 which has given Sudharsan an outlet for expression, and his batting continues to evolve as he gains more experience.

Together, the Sudharsan-Shubman Gill – he hit a 55-ball 104 -- partnership has flourished for GT. After their joint-highest partnership (210 runs), they may stick together as openers. “We have good camaraderie. We run the twos, we hit the gaps and there is a good sense of understanding between us. It's fun batting with him and watching him grow his innings,” said Gill.

“In the final last year, he played beautifully as well (CSK won the final). He’s a wonderful player. And today he was superb. That six early on (against Shardul) was a great way to start your innings. That was a sign of intent and he didn't let up. There was some batting in there which was of the highest calibre,” said CSK head coach Stephen Fleming.

Will CSK want to poach the local boy in the mega auction before the next edition? Watching him progress so quickly, will GT let him go? And will other teams step in?