Versatile Cricketer Sai Sudharsan could excel across formats, given the suitable opportunity presents itself.
Sai Sudharsan: Navigating the Labyrinth in Indian Cricket
In the maelstrom of modern Indian cricket, Sai Sudharsan stands at a puzzling crossways. His performances have made him an unignorable presence, yet his position within the national team remains ambiguous.
A rebel in an era of relentless innovation, the 23-year-old left-hander doesn't overpower opponents; instead, he outwits them. His batting style, a blend of precision and classical technique, feels like a quiet defiance in a sport that's rapidly looking for specialized roles.
The Shifting Sands of Domestic Cricket
A cursory glance at his first-class stats might not spark immediate awe. An average of 39.93 in 29 games could seem modest when set against India's burgeoning depth of red-ball talent, many boasting eye-catching raw numbers.
But numbers alone cannot tell the whole story. Seven first-class centuries serve as a better indicator of his potential. One such century came during India A's tour of Australia in 2024, on a Mackay surface teeming with uneven bounce and considerable movement. India had been bowled out for a paltry 107 in the first innings, but Sai Sudharsan, one of only three batters to hit double figures, returned for the second innings to craft a measured 103 off 200 balls. An innings characterized by patience, decision-making, and shot selection even against Todd Murphy, who offered respite from Australia A's barrage of fast bowlers, showcased Sai Sudharsan's smarts rather than brute strength.
This was no one-off performance. In 2024, he had also impressed against England Lions, scoring 221 runs across four innings at an average of 55.25. Then, during another county stint with Surrey, his century against Nottinghamshire was notable for its control and clarity of purpose, particularly in an innings where Farhan Ahmed, the off-spinner, picked up seven wickets.
Since the 2023 first-class season, Sai Sudharsan has racked up nine fifty-plus scores in 37 innings. While inconsistency has crept in occasionally, the range he's displayed against pace and spin, both in India and overseas, marks him as one of the country's most technically sound red-ball batters. It is no surprise that Ravi Shastri, the former India head coach, has vocalized his belief that Sai Sudharsan deserves a spot in India's squad for the upcoming England tour.
The Uncertain White-Ball Future
Sai Sudharsan's case for white-ball cricket is equally compelling, perhaps even stronger. In List A cricket, his average stands at a staggering 60.69, with a strike rate of 95.61. These are not just good numbers; they rank him among the world's best. In the 2022 Vijay Hazare Trophy, he accumulated 610 runs at an average of 76.25, scoring at 111.92, a demonstration of his rare ability to absorb early pressure and accelerate late.
His debut in South Africa's 3-ODI series in 2023 offered a promising glimpse of his temperament: 127 runs, two fifties, and a notable performance in challenging conditions against a fiery fast bowling attack that limited India to 211.
In T20s, too, Sai Sudharsan has been steadily closing the gap. Often pigeonholed as too traditional for the shortest format, his numbers have been hard to ignore. Up until the 2022 IPL, he had scored 988 runs at an average of close to 50 and a strike rate of 135.5. His shift came in 2023, as his six-hitting frequency doubled, and his strike rate climbed to 145.7. His innings of 96 in the 2023 IPL final against Chennai Super Kingswas his most complete display so far: not a slog-fest but a calculated knock. Since 2024, he has surpassed earlier achievements, scoring 504 runs at a strike rate of 154.1 and hitting 16 sixes in just ten innings.
The secret to Sai Sudharsan's seamless transition across formats lies in his strong technical foundation. His bat comes down in a straight, clean arc. His base is stable, as he focuses on timing the ball rather than muscling it. His head rarely wobbles. His ability to play late, with a low backlift and excellent hand control, is crucial to his game. It allows him to adjust to whatever line and length is bowled at him. His wristwork against spin is subtle but highly effective, a factor acknowledged by R Ashwin.
Since the beginning of the 2024 IPL, Sai Sudharsan ranks third, among Indian batters facing at least 150 deliveries of spin, in terms of strike rate (159.4), trailing behind only Axar Patel and Rajat Patidar.
The David Malan Paradox: A Chilling Prediction?
Despite his performances, Sai Sudharsan finds himself grappling with what can be termed the David Malan paradox - a player good enough across formats, yet never quite an obvious choice in any. Malan, once the highest-ranked batter in T20Is, found himself label as too traditional, a man out of time with a team moving too quickly.
In Tests, England chief selector Ed Smith labeled Malan as an "overseas specialist" after a sublime century in Perth, one of the few bright spots in England's 2017/18 Ashes campaign. The tag restricted him, reducing his Test career to 22 games across five years.
ODIs might have been where Malan truly excelled. But the format was evolving, and Malan's traditional style didn't quite match the changing landscape. He played just six matches between 2019 and 2021, and when he finally found form ahead of the 2023 World Cup, the team had already begun looking beyond him.
Sai Sudharsan now finds himself at a similar juncture. In red-ball cricket, the list of players with strong numbers is already lengthy. In ODIs, there's peace and clarity in the Indian setup, with no evident gap to fill until 2027. And in T20Is, Sudharsan doesn't quite seem to fit into India's new blueprint of fearlessness.
But where Malan battled time, Sudharsan has time on his side. He is only 23, and there's evidence of transformation, particularly in T20s. It demonstrates a willingness to adapt and shift gears, abandoning the familiar to embrace the new.
For now, Sudharsan finds himself on the outside, looking in. But with time on his side and a game built on substance rather than flash, he needn't rush.
- Sai Sudharsan's batting style, a blend of precision and classical technique, is a quiet defiance in the sport of cricket, which is rapidly looking for specialized roles, as he outwits opponents rather than overpowering them.
- Innovation in sports can be seen in Sai Sudharsan's approach to cricket, as he showcases smarts rather than brute strength through his patient, measured performances, such as his century on a Mackay surface teeming with uneven bounce and movement.
- Despite having a high average in first-class cricket, Sai Sudharsan's position in the national team remains ambiguous, possibly highlighting the difficulty of finding a place for a well-rounded player in modern sports, where specialized roles are sought after.
