Just as Sai Sudharsan was working towards having a better season with the bat, a rib fracture sustained during the Vijay Hazare Trophy sidelined him for over a month.
An unbeaten 101 and a couple of half-centuries were among his contributions in his last four innings in Tamil Nadu colours across the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy, till the rib fracture happened.
Fit at present and getting ready for his fifth straight IPL campaign with the Gujarat Titans, Sudharsan, averaging a highly impressive 49.80 with a strike rate of 145.89, prefers to count that time out of action as a positive.
“I’ve actually got a lot of time to prepare my body. I’ve got a lot of time to work on my batting as well. So, I’m looking at it that way,” Sudharsan, who has so far represented India in six Tests, three ODIs and a T20I, told select media during a virtual interaction on Friday.
“The preparations have been very good and we have shaped up really well coming into the tournament.”
This IPL is Sudharsan’s first major competition since his recovery. More than setting individual goals, the 24-year-old left-hander is focused more on being a consistent run-getter to help the Titans cap off a successful season.
“Doing it for the team to the fullest of our abilities is our biggest priority,” he stated.
Matthew Hayden’s presence in the Titans coaching staff as their batting coach should be of big help, the top-order batsman acknowledged. Particularly, for sharpening his six-hitting skills, as Hayden himself was a fiery opening batter during his time, known for his aggressive game.
“His (Hayden’s) presence will definitely help, yes. We already have had a few conversations around that (six-hitting) on how he used to look at those aspects. Hopefully, it helps me to get more success,” Sudharsan, with 1,793 runs from 40 IPL appearances so far, said.
Set to open the innings alongside captain Shubman Gill, Sudharsan will get ample time and opportunity to put Hayden’s tips to good use.
Versatility key
The performance of the likes of Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan in the top order in India’s victorious T20 World Cup campaign is certainly a learning for Sudharsan. But what’s more important for him is being versatile instead of relying mainly on power-hitting.
“I don’t think it’s only about power-hitting, and the way we look at it is slightly different. In a more traditional way, we are looking at how we can replicate things and how we can be as consistent as possible, and how we can take the game deeper to make the team win. Our thought process and energy is all around that.
“Yes, we have to learn from what the (T20) World Cup team has done and look to improve. At the end of the day, we have to be versatile enough to have all the
guns in our armoury,” Sudharsan explained.
Sudharsan has been having conversations on specific matters, including the plan to take the game deeper, with his captain, Gill. “We have talked about the need to react to the situation very well, and we had conversations around how to take the game deeper. We’ve also spoken on whom to target and what to do at a certain point in the game.”