India batting coach Sitanshu Kotak shared his take on Sai Sudharsan's batting approach after he was dismissed on 87 during the first day of the second Test against West Indies. The 23-year-old formed a humongous 193-run stand alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal and looked set to reach his hundred just like his batting partner. However, he eventually fell short by 13 runs and lost his wicket to Jomel Warrican in the 69th over.
Following the conclusion of Day 1, Kotak had his say on Sudharsan's batting approach and remarked that he is a great player especially when it comes to turning tracks. He further stated that there are areas where the 23-year-old definitely needs to improve.
"I don't think wicket or anything matters to him. But I would definitely say that, on a turning track, he is a very, very good player. And he knows what areas he needs to get better at, as well," Kotak said after Day 1.
Kotak on Sudharsan's knock
Meanwhile, Kotak also shared his remarks on Sudharsan's robust inning of 87 and stated that the latter played some fine shots during his stay at the crease. He further highlighted that Sudharsan is mentally tough and it takes a lot of effort from the bowlers to put him under pressure.
“We all know how talented he is. Every time you don’t look at the score, you look at the batsman too — how he is batting, how he is pacing his innings, what kind of shots he plays. Sometimes, one or two innings, anybody can fail, but he batted brilliantly today," Kotak stated.
“While he was batting, did anyone of you feel that he was under pressure? I think he is someone who is mentally very tough. You will never see him under pressure, you will never see him change his style of playing. He always plays on merit. So, the same way he batted today," he added.
Sudharsan registers 2nd half-century
Meanwhile, this was only Sudharsan's second half-century in the longest format. He had made his Test debut during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy against England, but had failed to make a great impression and had finished the series with 140 runs in six innings. He had also been dismissed cheaply for seven in the first West Indies Test, but improved his perfformance massively in the second match.