It is a scene that was played out in Tamil Nadu cricket three years ago and one likely to be repeated over the next fortnight. Post Covid, when the state team decided to move on from openers past their sell-by date, the selectors made a bold move to go for B Sai Sudharsan.
The left-hander didn’t have eye-popping numbers in the TNCA league but made 179 on his first-class debut. Now with retiring from Tests, the national selectors are pinning their hopes on a similarly smooth transition for the 23-year-old in India colours on the tour of England starting next month.
In an season where the flamboyance and fearlessness of Priyansh Arya, Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre has gained traction, Sai Sudharsan’s flair has also stood out. Of the many youngsters who dazzle in T20s with quirky shots or muscled hits, the opener stands apart with his conventional strokeplay. There is a stillness and compactness that’s quite impressive. In particular, his weight-transfer either forward or back is way better than many established names.
“As a batting coach, what stands out for me are his smooth hands and mindset,” batting coach Tanveer Jabbar tells . “He is one of the few players who plays with a very soft bottom hand. So, he gets most of his runs where he intends to. He is a guy who can get you singles as well as boundaries. His back-lift is his biggest asset. And his mindset has given him good game awareness.”
Jabbar was part of the selection panel that picked Sai Sudharsan for the state side for the first time.
With his basics in place, and 509 runs in the season in a format where few backed him to succeed, Sai Sudharsan is second in the race for IPL , fighting it out with , , and Shubman Gill. There is a reason former India head coach Ravi Shastri has picked Sai Sudharsan as an outsider to make the Test squad.
But in the three domestic seasons that he has featured in, Sai Sudharsan hasn’t made heads turn by scoring truckloads of runs like or Sarfaraz Khan. In 29 first-class matches, he averages 39.93 with seven centuries and five fifties.
But it isn’t always about numbers. Otherwise, Surrey wouldn’t have roped him in as an overseas pick even before he made his India debut in 2023. In successive seasons, Sai Sudharsan has been one of their main overseas batsmen, even scoring a century in their title- winning campaign last season.
Jabbar breaks down his batting technique and what can make him a success at the international level. The soft bottom hand in an era of T20s is a rarity, particularly for someone who wants to feature across formats without modifying his game. It could work in Sai Sudharsan’s favour in England, as was seen in his success in County cricket.
“A soft bottom hand shows you have control over your back-lift and the bat. The control over the bat is critical to give direction to the ball. If you hold the bat very firmly, you are going to jab at the ball. That is only for hitting. So, he has two shots for each ball,” Jabbar says of Sai Sudharsan’s strength.
Earlier in the IPL, coming up against Mitchell Starc during Gujarat Titans’ game against , he played a shot that stood out. A square-cut said much about his balance. He leaned on to the front foot, but quickly shifted his weight back. All this was done rather imperceptibly, which elevated that shot. He didn’t plonk his front foot, but just pressed lightly on it. He could then transfer his weight back rather quickly, focusing on getting his arms high to carve the ball through the off-side.
The same transfer of weight was visible next ball when he picked the fuller length quickly and glided forward to cream the ball through extra cover. Not just Starc, other pacers have also seen the short ball being dispatched by a fierce cut or pull in front of square.
“Primarily, what we look for is that a batter should have at least a couple of options for every delivery. That is something which Sai has worked on. That’s why he has been so successful. Against the short ball, he can go on the backfoot and punch it to cover and, if need be, can pull it as well. He pulls, sweeps and has the straight drive. If you look around in the domestic circuit, there are not too many batsmen who play straight drives. That’s because of their bat flow. But he has those shots in his book, which is testament to his technique. And obviously, he has got very nimble feet to complement his good hands. All of it means that his balance is very good with a still head,” Jabbar notes.
What has also helped Sai Sudharsan is the consistent exposure he has managed to get. If the Tamil Nadu Premier League and IPL helped him evolve as an all-format player, his stints with India A and Surrey have made him a sound batsman against the red ball. When he has returned to , it is as a batsman and an individual whose confidence has gone up. With runs under his belt, a maiden Test call-up now looks inevitable some time during the English summer.
It will come in a totally different format, and this being the early part of the English summer, pitches could be seamer-friendly. And unlike the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sai Sudharsan has the experience of playing in England.
“He has got enough exposure to bowlers of international quality. He has travelled abroad and rubbed shoulders with the best in the IPL. Being a left-hander is an added advantage because the bowlers will have to change their angles every now and then. His soft bottom hand will also come very handy in England,” Jabbar says. “The only challenge I see is his running between the wickets. He is too quick for the other batters and always looks to get off strike.”
