Duleep Trophy 2024: Sai Sudharsan, on a First-Class grind, hopes to make it to the Indian team again

Sudharsan was slated for a debut against England in Dharamshala, but an upper-back injury meant fellow southpaw Devdutt Padikkal got the honours.

Moving forward, fulfilling his role, and making the most of his chances remain Sudharsan’s only concerns. | Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam/ The Hindu

Rapid strides in First-Class cricket had put B. Sai Sudharsan on the cusp of earning an Indian Test cap.

The polite knocking on the door started with the 572-run Ranji Trophy season with Tamil Nadu in 2022-23 that included two centuries. His contention grew stronger when he followed that up with 221 runs in four innings for India A against England Lions earlier this year.

Sandwiched in between was a fifty for Rest of India against Madhya Pradesh in the Irani Trophy.

Sudharsan was slated for a debut against England in Dharamshala, but an upper-back injury meant fellow southpaw Devdutt Padikkal got the honours.

“I’m not thinking in terms that I have to play in the Indian squad. I’m not thinking along those lines. But as a cricketer, this [Duleep Trophy] is a great platform and opportunity where it feels like a Test match with every game we play,” says Sudharsan as he takes himself through the First-Class grind, hoping to break in one more time.

His returns in the first two games have been modest at best. In the opening round, on a wicket that was a pace bowler’s delight, Sudharsan scored seven and 22 for India C in the two innings.

In the second-round match against India B, Sudharsan promised a big score but gave away the start and was dismissed for 43 on a batter-friendly track that saw Abhimanyu Easwaran and Ishan Kishan slam hundreds.

“Even the last game we played, it felt like a Test match, [in terms of] the quality that we faced and the conditions that we played in. I feel that is exposing us to different conditions, and I feel that is helping me get better as a batter. Of course, if you get better with the red ball, you can expand your batting in all formats.

“So, this is one of the difficult formats to play for sure, and it’s a test for everybody. I would love to play for the country whenever possible, especially in the red ball, because it has been a dream for everybody to get that Test cap,” says Sudharsan.

It was to add to his red-ball repertoire that Sudharsan made his way to Surrey for the English County Championship. His appearances have been stop-gap arrangements, which means his run haul does not quite meet the lofty standards set by him.

In eight innings, Sudharsan has tallied 281 runs at an average of 35, but his hundred against Hampshire in his most recent outing hints he is finding his mojo.

“Earlier, when I used to play in swinging or seaming conditions, I used to have that kind of fear. But over a period of time—last year I spent one month; this year, two months ago I went for a game, and now I went for two games—I feel a sense of familiarity. If you go there, every other ball swings or seams off the wicket. So, [I have developed] the habit of playing according to that rather than getting surprised. When we come to India, not every ball will swing.

“So, you’ll have to be even more patient; you’ll have to be even more technically strong; the basics have to be right. And I feel because of that, it has given me an experience of playing in swinging conditions. When I come back [to India], it doesn’t feel new when we play on a green wicket or a seaming wicket.

“Even in the first game when we played on a seaming wicket, I felt I had some idea to play towards it. Yes, the result didn’t go the way I wanted, but still, the approach was better. The mindset towards approaching the game was better,” says Sudharsan.

Though Sudharsan has primarily opened through his senior career, he could only be incorporated in the middle order at Surrey.

“Definitely a varying experience; I’ve never batted below number four. And batting at six was a different experience and challenge because you need to play with all-rounders; you need to play with bowling batters and take more responsibility and take more risk than them. So, it was a new experience for me, and thankfully it worked well,” says Sudharsan.

Sudharsan’s push for excellence in First-Class cricket has, however, not weighed down on his limited overs stocks. His steady returns have helped him dodge past the ‘classical player’ tag that can at times confine a player.

He made his One-Day International debut against South Africa last year and struck two fifties in his three matches. 

This year, he was given a call-up for the T20I series against Zimbabwe. During the Indian Premier League 2024, Sudharsan became the fastest Indian to complete 1000 runs in the competition, blazing past the mark in 25 innings and overtaking Sachin Tendulkar in the process. 

While he strives to flourish across formats, Sudharsan feels white-ball success can be more gratifying and add to his overall profile as a batter.

“I think because of the duration of the game, it gives you more pleasure than Test cricket. [Maybe] Because of the [shorter] duration of time, I feel you get the gratification earlier.

“Ultimately, winning the situation and making the team win gives me the most gratifying feeling. I feel, even in this game [against India B], I just batted for the first spell where they bowled really well. That also gave me great satisfaction. Yes, I could have converted it to a big score, but I feel the role which I wanted to play for the team has been fulfilled. Because of that we were able to get a big total, and we were stabilised,” says Sudharsan.

Moving forward, fulfilling his role, and making the most of his chances remain Sudharsan’s only concerns.

“I believe in it [the grind]. I think that consistency is what will, in the future, set me apart, and that is what I’m striving for and looking for,” concludes Sudharsan.