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23-year-old Sai Sudharsan's maiden Test call-up has led to contrasting comments. While his former Tamil Nadu Nadu coach Sulakshan Kulkarni feels that he does not do well on seaming tracks, England's legendary wicketkeeper-batter Alec Stewart feels that his technique is suited for these conditions. While it is yet to be seen whether Sudharsan justifies his selection or not, his Tamil Nadu and Gujarat Titans (GT) teammate R Sai Kishore feels that the southpaw has "no stage fright".
"Sai Su has no stage fright. He made his IPL debut before he made his first-class debut. Be it TNPL [Tamil Nadu Premier League], TN, county, IPL or India, he was never taken aback by the situation or by the atmosphere. You come across a lot of skilful players, but they may not have the right mindset. Sai Su is supremely skilled and mentally strong, which is quite a rare combination," Kishore told ESPNCricinfo.
Kishore lauded Sudharsan for putting in efforts in the nets consitently. He feels that Kishore is continuously looking to improve.
"Sai Su is someone who is religious about his nets and practice. How do I put it? He's mad about practice and there is no room for complacency at all - something that we spoke about even after the IPL ended," he said.
Kishore sees plenty changes in Sudharsan since his IPL debut. He went on to say that he has learnt a lot from Sudharsan despite being a senior.
"From 2021 to 2022, there was a massive difference in Sai Su's game, 2022-23, there was again a massive difference, and so on every year," the 28-year-old said.
"That drive to keep getting better is the most amusing thing about him. To do this at 23, the sky is the limit for him. I might be a senior to him in terms of age and all, but I've learnt a lot from him."
Sudharsan had a decent County stint where he scored 281 runs from eight innings for Surrey, including a century and a fifty. It will be interesting to see whether he makes his Test debut at Headingley, Leeds in the first Test of the series starting June 20.
Sudharsan's IPL career
Sudharsan made his IPL debut in 2022 edition and scored 145 runs from five innings. In 2023, he got eight opportunities to bat and scored 362 runs, including a 96-run knock in the final against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). In IPL 2024, he took it up the notch and scored 527 runs from 12 innings, including one century and two fifties. In IPL 2025, he won the orange cap. The southpaw scored 759 runs from 15 innings at an average of 54.21, including one century and six fifties.
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