Sai Sudharsan Steps Up, and How!

Before the IPL 2023 final, Sai Sudharsan had featured in only seven games for defending champions Gujarat Titans. The elegant left-hander wasn’t the first choice in the starting XI for the season opener vs Chennai Super Kings but an unfortunate injury to Kane Williamson forced GT to draft him as an Impact Player. The 21-year-old went on to play the next four games and scored a couple of half-centuries but was back on the bench for the next seven games Gujarat Titans played.

After cooling his heels in the dugout for nearly a month, the talented youngster returned to the XI for the business end of the tournament when GT played him in the league fixture vs Sunrisers Hyderabad and then the Qualifier 2 vs Mumbai Indians. In both games, Sudharsan stamped his class with scores of 47 and 43 and had the best seat in the house for two Shubman Gill hundreds. The Chennai-born batter retired out for a 31-ball 43 in the game vs MI a few days back and chose the biggest occasion in the tournament to silence the strike-rate critics with a sensational 47-ball 96 vs Chennai Super Kings.

From just 10 runs off the first 12 balls to 86 off the next 35, the youngster played the balls where they were meant to be played and never lost his shape in the process. A strong off-side game with power down the ground, and that little dash of cheekiness, makes him a complete T20 batter. Yes, he takes some time to get going but this is just his 13th IPL appearance and he is already looking much better than the 17-ball 23 in the opening game vs Chennai Super Kings. 362 runs in 8 matches at an average of 51.71 and strike-rate of 141.41 are phenomenal numbers for an uncapped batter playing only his 2nd IPL but those who have seen him progress in the Tamil Nadu circuit and then in domestic competitions are not surprised.

Mr. Consistent

For his state side Tamil Nadu, the left-hander has been consistent across formats and had a brilliant 2022-23 at top of the order. The season saw him expand his range and add some muscle to the tight game he already had. The youngster didn’t make a cautious effort to add more power and it was just about getting into good positions for playing the big shots.

“Actually I think I was in good positions so that only resulted in good shots. I haven’t really worked on power hitting specifically," Sudharsan had told News18 CricketNext on a chilly December morning in New Delhi.

The first-ever Tamil Nadu Premier League auction then saw him become the most expensive buy when Lyca Kovai Kings got him for Rs 21.60 lakh, 1.60 lakh more than the price for which GT got him at IPL 2022 mega-auction. It was just a reminder of the immense potential the young man has and how he had worked on his fitness to elevate his game.

Ditching pizza & pasta

More than his game, Sudharsan worked a lot on his fitness during the COVID-19 period which made him realise the importance of a healthy lifestyle and routine. Sudharsan ditched pizza and pasta and grew an appetite for runs and tons, and parents who understood the demands of the professional sport only made his journey easier.

Sudharsan’s father R Bharadwaj represented India at South Asian Games and his mother Usha Bharadwaj played for the state’s volleyball team.

“Even my parents helped me a lot because my father has also represented India so he knows what it takes to be fit to prolong your career, to be fitter for a longer season. That has helped me a lot," Sudharsan had said earlier.

Team over individual performance

After just a couple of games in the season, Sudharsan was riding high on confidence but hadn’t set any personal goals for the tournament. For him, retaining the title with Gujarat Titans was more important than any personal goal or milestone.

“It actually started last year of the IPL. The confidence that we got after winning the IPL and helped me a lot to get better, even prepare for the domestic season. I think the domestic season has given me a lot of confidence before coming into the IPL and the camps before the season helped me a lot," Sudharsan had said during an open media interaction.

Sudharsan, 21, bullied CSK’s bowlers during his knock, laced with 8 boundaries and 6 sixes, and has put his side in a very authoritative position at 214/4 after 20 overs.

However, Sudarshan’s knock will only remain a post-script in the final that will be remembered for years for various reasons. After a lengthy delay due to rain and wet outfield, CSK got a revised target of 171 in 15 overs and they went all guns blazing. Devon Conway led the charge with a stunning assault of 47 off 25, Shivam Dube, Ajinkya Rahane and the retiring Ambati Rauyud played their part before Ravindra Jadeja won it for MSD with a six and four off the final two deliveries to hand CSK its 5th title.