2024-05-13 00:53:20
New Delhi: Sai Sudarshan‘s talent has always been undeniable but what has stood out most for the Gujarat Titans youngster in this IPL is his impressive awareness of the game and decision-making abilities. Which he learned during his first tour with the Indian team in South Africa last year. 22-year-old Sudarshan has shown great consistency at the top of the order for the Titans in the ongoing IPL season.
This batsman from Tamil Nadu is among the top five batsmen scoring the most runs in the current season with 527 runs in 12 matches at a strike rate of 141.28. He caught the attention of the T20 world with his century in the T20 on Friday. Sudarshan and Shubman Gill kept the Titans’ hopes alive in the tournament by making a combined highest partnership of 210 runs for the first wicket.
What changes did Sudarshan make in his game?
Sudarshan said in an interview to PTI, ‘There has not been much change in my batting (compared to last season) but yes, decision making ability, awareness or understanding of the game has improved. This is helping me a bit in consistency in performance. Power hitting is very important in the modern T20 game. But Sudarshan trusts his timing. He said, ‘My batting is all about timing and position (stable body). I have tried to get a grip on both. So I think the way of implementing things has become better.
Playing for the country was great for Sai.
Sudarshan said, ‘I was finding it difficult to dominate every bowler (last year), which gave me an opportunity to improve in my batting.’ Two consecutive half-centuries in his first series for India and that too in South Africa gave him a lot of confidence. He is not a part of India’s T20 plans at the moment but could be an integral part of the ODI team in the future.
Sudarshan said, ‘Playing for the country against South Africa was very special for me and it also became a memorable match. This has taught me how international cricket works and where you have to improve as a batsman, otherwise you cannot sustain yourself.