As Sai Sudharsan returns from a rib cage injury and works on his game to improve his talents after a brief red-ball stay with the Indian Test team, the Gujarat Titans opener is putting variety ahead of high strike rates going into the IPL.
The 24-year-old, who scored 759 runs at a strike rate of about 145 during the previous IPL season to win the “Orange Cap,” did not enjoy his time with the Indian Test side, amassing 302 runs from six Test matches at a poor average of 27.45.
In 11 Test innings, he scored a few half-centuries, but his overall performance was lackluster.
“I think I was grateful enough for the experience. First thing, I am not looking at it as a low or I am not looking at it as a fail because it has shown me what I have to improve,” Sudharsan told PTI in an interview ahead of the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League.
For the batter, playing for India has been rather enlightening.
“It has shown me what I have to work on and grind when I go forward in Test cricket. So, I am not thinking of it as a failure. I am thinking it has given me an opportunity to work on more things and it is helping me to evolve. And obviously, it has made me believe in myself more,” the genial southpaw said.
Before suffering a rib cage injury while competing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Sudharsan went through a difficult period towards the close of the previous season, failing to score significant goals against South Africa.
After that, he was given a two-month sabbatical, during which he worked on his skills with Jayakumar, his childhood coach.
“Emotionally, I am not looking at it as a very low space or very difficult times because I’ve gotten an opportunity to work on my body and work on my batting,” Sudharsan said.
The T20 cricket format has changed quickly, and Sudharsan wants to stay up to date while creating his own style of strokeplay rather than copying others.
“Since the game has also evolved for sure and the score is also evolving for sure. So, I think as batters, what can we do? What can be the combinations if we want to chase a very big total? So, I think I have put more effort mentally on how to look at those scores and obviously the decision-making for that. So, I think I have worked more on that,” he said.
Powerplay batting has been redefined by players like Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, but Sudharsan, who has a career strike rate of 139, has no intention of altering a strategy that has served him well.
“I think it is important to have that versatility. It is important to look at it that way rather than just looking at just I want to improve my strike rate. Rather than that, I think I am looking to be more versatile.”
Aggressive powerplay scoring is dependent on a number of factors, he continued.
“I think it depends so much on the conditions. It depends so much on a lot of variables. Yes, they (Abhishek, Sanju Samson, Sooryavanshi) have done a brilliant job. And as batters, we would love to and especially I would love to learn from that. And I would love to up my bar as well for sure.”
Sudharsan bases his strategy on the needs of the team.
“If the wicket is really good, yes, we will also have to do that (up the strike rate). But if the wicket is tacky, if the wicket is a little difficult, we will have to be versatile enough to adapt to that as well. I think I am focusing a lot more on being versatile and taking the innings longer and making the team win.”
Sudharsan, who has opened the batting alongside Shubman Gill for a number of years, stated that their partnership is characterized by a deep feeling of trust.
“Shubman as a skipper is a very trustworthy person. He makes you feel that you belong to the team. He keeps you in a very good place.
“He is very instinctive. He knows what you are feeling. Most of the times, when I was feeling something in my mind, he used to tell me, ‘I understand what you are feeling but you are there.’
“At times, he would tell me something to make me feel a bit more positive or make me feel a bit more grounded. I think he is one of the great captains I have played under,” Sudharsan said.
