If Virat Kohli is the 'king' of Indian cricket and Shubman Gill is the new 'prince', Sai Sudarsan is probably just happy to be a commoner. All his social ascent is invested in his shots.
“I don't think I can choose one format because playing for the country is like an honor for every cricketer. I would like to play in all three formats,” the batsman said, adding that Gujarat will play in Royal Challengers. He was speaking after scoring 84 off 49 balls in the loss to Bangalore. The boy from Chennai knows what he wants. His grace and timing on the pitch is matched by his great attitude and manners off the pitch.
The 22-year-old has made incredible progress, boosted by his second season in the IPL in 2023, when he finished third in the overall points standings for CVC Capital Partners' final runners-up. In the final against MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings, he scored a spectacular 96 off 47 balls. He may have been scored for a loss, but it was an example of how this batsman doesn't shy away from pressure.
Amidst the excitement of the biggest cricket film series, the young player's spectacular knock drew instant praise from the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina on social media. That's enough for cricket royalty.
But it is Ravi Ashwin who has constantly extolled the virtues of this special youngster, demanding that he join the Tamil Nadu Premier League in 2021 as well, scoring 358 points in 8 games in his debut season. , recorded an average of 71.60 points. In the domestic 2022-23 Ranji Trophy season, Sudarsan scored 572 runs in 7 matches at an average of 47.66 and a highest knockout of 179. He also set a century for India A against Pakistan (always a huge record).
“It takes a step up to play for the national team from the state side and I believe he has it. “In international cricket you play in different conditions against different bowling attacks, so that's a step up. It's not easy to make it happen. Sai Sudarsan could be the next player, an Indian player from Tamil Nadu, to be a key player in the eleven,” Ashwin said recently.
It's tough to step up from being a professional cricketer to an international player within two-and-a-half years. He ticked all the boxes to earn the right to be a star player and also featured in several county cricket matches for Surrey, scoring 73 and 40 in the match against Hampshire. “Sai was highly recommended to me by people I greatly respect, including some of the greats of the Indian game who have seen and worked with him up close,” he said. Surrey head coach Alec Stewart said. The word will spread. Those closest to him say there are no shortcuts to the player's preparation.
His international debut came against South Africa in December 2023, just a month after his country suffered the ultimate disappointment in the World Cup final. The boy quickly became a man and handled the added pressure of the Indian badge with ease. He scored an unbeaten 55 runs off just 43 balls against Johannesburg to see the Men in Blue win. He went on to score 63 in the second ODI, becoming the second Indian player to score consecutive half-centuries in the first two ODIs, after Navjot Sidhu.
“I feel that by playing more matches, playing for the national team and playing a few matches on the India A tour, I have matured in the way I handle things and how I handle any situation. In that respect, I feel even from last year to this year. [more] He is mature and responsible,” Sudarsan said earlier in this IPL edition.
There are still many rivers to cross for the batsman and the T20 World Cup has probably come too early in his development. Sudarsan is a great talent in the purest form of the game. Go over there, Shubman, the next young 20-something is coming. That too will happen sooner or later.