Promise and learnings: Sai Sudharsan’s foray into Test cricket

 B. Sai Sudharsan has been making rapid strides in the last four years. The 23-year-old set the stage on fire earlier this year in the IPL, finishing at the top of the run charts (759 runs).

The left-hander, who has already donned the India colours in ODIs and T20Is, added another feather to his cap in June when he made his Test debut against England in the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy that ended 2-2.

Though Sai Sudharsan played only three Tests and had middling returns (140 runs) with a highest score of 61, the Tamil Nadu batter showed promise in challenging conditions.

“To be honest, the feeling on Test debut was completely different [to the other formats]. Everyone used to say Test cricket is the ultimate, and I finally experienced it. The feeling when I was standing for the national anthem was special… especially playing in England,” Sai Sudharsan told The Hindu.

On his performance, Sai Sudharsan rued not converting his starts but was happy with the control he showed in the middle.

“It was disappointing not to convert after getting those starts, and I should have made a big knock. I felt it was one of the most significant learnings. Having got through the difficult phase, in India, you could open up and be aggressive. But in England, you have to keep it tight and do what you did in the first hour. These are things I want to learn and structure my batting around,” he explained.

“Even if we have a great season, we will have points to improve. But if it is just an OK series like this, there are a lot of areas to work on, whether it’s the mindset or even from a run-making point of view.”

Further elaborating on the technical learnings, he added: “There are a few things that I can improve on, like tracking the ball well, and even timing the ball better. Those things will help me to be in a better position when the ball is swinging or seaming. I need to get more refined on these things, which will help me face any difficult situation I might face in the future.”

Sai Sudharsan emphasised that the new-look Indian team’s mindset was to beat England. “It was a great series for us. The captain (Shubman Gill) played some unbelievable knocks. Right from the first meeting, it was clear we were not coming in as a new team looking to gain experience, but to dominate.”

On the team’s morale heading into the final morning at The Oval when England needed 35 runs with four wickets in hand, Sai Sudharsan said: “We went in believing we could level the series. The fast bowlers bowled their heart out on the fourth evening, and it was their effort that kept us in the game. So once the rain came, they could come fresh on the final morning and win the game.”