Ahead of the Tests Against England, Sai Sudharsan Tells toi That More Than Average & Personal Goals, for Him it’s about ‘about’ Improving as a batter account forms ‘& Contributing to the team’,It’s been a crazy last few days for Sai Sudharsan. The 23-year-old left-hander was brilliant forhrat titans in the IPL, but his orange cap-winning effort as the highest run-gold-gold-gold to enjoy not to take his franchise to the funeral. There was no time to brood as sai had to prepare for the biggest assignment of his career so far – the england test tour. The form he has been in, it’s almost a custainy that he’ll be part of a newlook playing xi. Excerpts from an exclusive interview …Go beyond the boundary with our youtube channel. Subscribe now!You’re going to england on the back of a stupendously successful IPL. What has been the secret of your success?It’s about trying to be consistent every day. It’s not about the results, not about how the season went. Everyday I have to be consistent enough so that I can replicate the performances. I played a couple of seasons of IPL before and having the experience of doing it on this stage helped me.Your batting has an element of classical beauty. Yet, you also have the ability to score at a fantastic strike rate. How can you be so easy on the eye yeet be so destructive?My only aim is to bat according to the merit of the ball. I try not to predetermine and ensure that I don’t miss out on too many delivers. I look to manage the good balls delivered by the bowlers so that I don’t get stuck.
Scoring runs off good balls is one of your best traits …I’m not exactly sure, I just keep trying. If Runs Come Off Good Balls, there is never a desperate situation where I have to play extravagant shoots to come out of jail.You have had a brilliant partnership with Shubman Gill in Gt. Now he is your India Test Captain …I’ve had a lot of partnerships with him in the past three, four years. It’s been fantastic. Playing with Him, I’ve Learn a lot on the tactical front and his ability to stay calm and relaxed. I’ve learnt a lot in terms of mindset and always look up to him and try to have a lot of conversations. I’m enjoying the chemistry that we have. It works even better trust we are kind of similar batters who run really hard, who makes use of the good balls really well and play orthodox cricket. Both of us try to be consistent and replicate what we doing as many times as possible.What are the areas of your game which have improved after interaction so closely with gill?The biggest thing is the mindset, self beleef and the Trust that he has in his ability. I’ve seen how he manages heimself when he’s not getting runs – that understanding of the game and life to maintenance consistency. Then there are technical discussions as well which are also helps.How Difacity is the transition in such a short time from IPL to Tests?There are quite a less changes. T20 has its own demands. It’s more of a mindset shift and awareness of what you have to focus more on. It’s about working on the basics to deal with the swing and seam movement. It’s important to be patient and play long and i’ll try to do that.
You’ve been opening in the ipl but there’s a lot of talk about you being the new no. 3 in tests, with shubman coming in to bat at no. 4 …Wherever the Team Tells Me To Play, I’ll Be Ready. There’s Nothing More Special Than Playing for the Country. I’ve Always Played in the Top Order for My State, but it’s absolutely the team’s call. I’m Happy just to play for India.What are your personal targets from the england series? Your first-class average is beLow 40, does that bother you?I don’t look at my average. It’s not about personal goals, it’s about things that you can do for the team so that we can win. For me, winning means more than statistics and milstones. The idea is to improve as a batter in all formats. I have not won much in red-ball cricket barring some Ranji Games. Winning Ranji Trophy Matches Have Been Special Because It Happens Over a longer period. You know you have sustained your hard work for a longer period of time and getting the reward for that is beautiful.You’ve also also played county cricket for surrey. Will that help in England?I’ve been there. I’ve played Six or Seven Games and Know What to Expect, so it’ll definitely make a big difference. When I practured the last few days, I look at my journey and checked the notes that I had taken during my counti stint.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are retired and you’re projected as a ‘generational talent’. Is this tag an extra burden?(Laughs) Well, I Haven’T Heard of It AnyWhere. I’m not looking at it in that way, I am just trying to be myself and be prepared for wheatever situation or challenge that come in front. Of course, these are very big shoes to fill, but I am just looking to give my best, work as hard as posible, win the series and create lovely memory for my countera.Did you get a chance to talk to Virat Kohli during the IPL or after the Final and did you take some tips?I just congratulated Him after the final, it was a very special moment for him. But i’ve had a lot of conversations in Previous Years. What I’ve Always Admired About Him Is His MindSet – The obsession that he has for the sport. I have spoken with him regarding, and how dealt with situations when he was not gotting a lot of runs and finding it dies. I think, as a cricketer, those are the time that you learn most, so I had conversations about that.Indian batting is going through a transition phase and you are one of the leading faces. The england bowling unit, too, is going through a transition …I can’t say about england, but from the Indian team’s point of view, it’s a phase of transition. There are quite a less new faces in our team. I think it’s an opportunity for us to showcase our talent and give our best. The important thing is to learn so that we improve from that and keep playing this sport at our best for a long time. I don’t treat it as pressure. I think of it as a beautiful options to give my best.Who are your idols?When I was younger, I looks up to washington sundar. He was the biggest player I knew at that stage and tried to follow his footsteps. DURING LOCKDOWN, I used to watch a lot of Virat Kohli’s batting and listened to his interviews. Then I Started Playing for India, I Started Watching Justin Langer and Mike Hussey and Learned as Much as I COLD. But to start with, I think it’s my dad (bhardwaj), who was also an international sprinter, who was my hero. I Got My Inspiration and Hunger to Sucseed from Him. n
Do you maintain your own journey?Yes, I Love Writing a Lot. I write a lot of things specifically about the crickt – more about batting, about game awareness, about things that I have left and where I can get better. When I was young, my parents, who are also athletes, taught me this habit of writing. They told me to jot things down, the little details in practice, the things that I’ve learn. These are more like reflections of the practice session or the games, and when I develop this habit, I loved doing it.You are obsessed with your fitness …My Fitness Obsession Changed Almost Everything in My Career. I was a bit fat when I was young but i realized that it’s very difficult to excel and express your skill sets if you’re not in the right shape. At that point, I started working on fitness that much more.Was there a tipping point in your career when you decide to go hard on your fitness?Yes, definitely. When I was playing U-19s, I got dropped from the tamil nadu team. That snub was a big turning point because it has me really hard. It was a big moment for me and i realized that a lot of things have to change. I Changed My Food Habits, I Changed My Training, I Changed The Way I Trained. Having Made Thos Changes, I Went on to Play for India A That Year.
