CHENNAI: When Tamil Nadu's B Sai Sudharsan made that scintillating 96 for Gujarat Titans in the 2023 IPL final against Chennai Super Kings, he was the talk of the town despite the team in yellow winning the title. Almost every cricket expert who watched him bat was of the opinion that it is only a matter of time before the left-handed batter played for the country.
Less than six months on, Sai Sudharsan found himself in the hot seat — with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma opting out for the series, the Tamil Nadu batter was called up to the Indian team for the 50-over format — opening for India against South Africa in the first ODI played in Johannesburg on Sunday. And as he has done throughout his career, Sai Sudharsan did not disappoint, scoring an unbeaten 55, helping India secure an eight-wicket win.
Opting to bat first, South Africa were bundled out for 117, thanks to Arshdeep Singh's five-wicket haul. The left-arm seamer ran through the Proteas top-order, a blow from which the hosts never recovered, as India dominated the proceedings from ball one. Chasing a tricky target in conditions that had some assistance for the bowlers, Ruturaj Gaikwad got out early, but Sai Sudharsan, along with Shreyas Iyer, ensured India got across the line.
What helped him is the experience of playing the red-ball game with India A team and gathering as much information as possible about the conditions before arriving in the Rainbow Nation. Right from the first ball he faced, which was driven through covers for a boundary, Sai Sudharsan looked at home. "I mean it's (wicket) a bit different from India, there is extra bounce and pace off the wicket. So I feel before coming here (ODI) I played India A game, so I had time to adjust to the wickets. I gathered as much information as possible about the conditions here," said Sai Sudharsan after the match.
Former India cricketer WV Raman was all praise for the TN cricketer who has grown from strength to strength since stealing the limelight in the 2021 Tamil Nadu Premier League. "It is pleasing and delightful to see a youngster playing his first game in South Africa and give a good account of himself. Sai has made rapid progress at all the levels he has played.
This innings will go a long way and help his cause because not only he has the skill sets but he has a great attitude to complement his skills. I am confident that this is just the start of what is likely to be a big long career," said the former coach of the Indian's women's team.
Raman, the first Indian to score an ODI century in South Africa, knows a thing or two on how to adapt to the conditions there. "I think things have changed in South Africa over the years from the time I played. But the fact remains that South Africa have some good fast bowlers in their ranks. Playing in conditions which are not familiar to you is always challenging. I am glad to see that he (Sai) has overcome the challenge," said the former Tamil Nadu captain.
One of the things everyone who has tracked Sai Sudharsan's career speaks about is his work ethic and hunger to improve, to become the best in the business. And with the Indian team likely to go through a transition in the ODI format before the 2027 World Cup, the selectors and the team management are going to see who fits well at the top of the order. Sai Sudharsan has made a good first impression in that regard, but this is just the beginning. There will be challenges ahead as he continues to play more at the highest level. However, Raman believes that the youngster will be up for it. "International cricket is always tough. There will be areas where you need to keep working on in today's era, where people are bisecting your game. One needs to constantly work on his game and also skill sets and Sai has the right attitude to do that," signed off Raman.
Brief scores: South Africa: 116 all out in 27.3 ovs (Arshdeep Singh 5/37, Avesh Khan 4/27) lost to India 117/2 in 16.4 ovs (Sai Sudharsan 55 n.o, Shreyas Iyer 52).
