21-year-old Sai Sudharsan's purple patch has continued. In Lyca Kovai Kings' third match of Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2023, Sudharsan scored an unbeaten 64 in the run chase against Chepauk Super Gillies at NPR College Ground, Dindigul on June 19.
Earlier Shahrukh Khan won the toss and opted to field first. Super Gillies lost both their top order for 31 in 6.1 overs. In the 10th over they lost their fourth wicket for just 40 runs. Uthirasamy Sasidev and Harish Kumar's crucial knocks helped Gillies post a respectable total of 126/8. Valliappan Yudheeswaran stood out of the lot with three wickets from his quota of four overs.
In the run chase of 127, B Sachin got bowled by Rahil Shah in the sixth over. Sudharsan scored quickly alongside J Suresh Kumar to push Gillies on the back foot. At the halfway stage, they were 80/1. Suresh missed his half-century as he lost his wicket to Lokesh Raj in the 14th over. Suresh scored 47 runs from 34 balls including eight fours and one six. They shared a 65-run partnership for the second wicket.
In the next over, Sudharsan hit M Silambarasan for three consecutive fours. He got to his half-century from 35 deliveries. In the 17th over, he finished the run chase with a boundary. Kovai Kings won the game by eight wickets with 21 balls to spare. Sudharsan remained unbeaten for 64 off 43 deliveries including nine fours and one six.
This was Sudharsan's third half-century on the trot in TNPL 2023. In the previous game, his 90-run knock went in vain as 20-year-old Ajitesh Guruswamy scored a scintillating century.
So far, he has scored 240 runs from three innings at an average of 120. Overall, this is Sudharsan's fourth consecutive half-century in T20 cricket. In Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 final, the southpaw scored a record-breaking 96 for Gujarat Titans (GT) against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a losing cause.
Sudharsan has also been picked in South Zone's squad for Duleep Trophy 2023. The youngster will play under the leadership of Hanuma Vihari.
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