Tamil Nadu cricket team batter Sai Sudharsan made his ODI bow in the 1st match of the three-match ODI series against South Africa at the New Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday. Sai Sudharsan was seen being handed a team cap by skipper KL Rahul during a team huddle ahead of the toss at the iconic venue. (Live Blog | Scorecard | Streaming | Key Battles | Full Coverage)
The Tamil Nadu cricketer got his opportunity after having being on an impressive run of form for the last few years in the domestic circuit as well as the Indian Premier League.
In 25 List A Games, Sudharsan has amassed 1269 runs at an average of 60.42 and that includes six tons and four half-centuries. Moreover, he also got an opportunity to play for the Surrey County Cricket team in England.
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Talking about his Surrey experience, Sudharsan said the County team gave him a lot of freedom.
“At Surrey, they gave me a lot of freedom. Usually as a professional there is lot of pressure on you to score runs. But (Alec) Stewart was very accommodative and understood where I stand in my career. He just told me to look at it as an opportunity to understand the conditions. He spent a lot of time in teaching me how to read the pitches, which was an eye-opener for me. As an opener, it makes a difference because you are the one who sets the tone and when you read it well, it helps the team as well,” Sudharsan was quoted in The Indian Express.
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Sai Sudharsan aka Bharadwaj Sai Sudharsan was born on Monday, 15 October 2001 in Venkatesa Agraharam, Mylapore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu. His Parents are also from sporting background. His father, Bharadwaj R, was a former international athlete (sprinter and long jumper) and represented India in the South Asian Games in Dhaka, Bangladesh. His mother, Alagu Usha, was also a former state-level volleyball player.
The 22-year-old plys his trade with the Gujarat Titans in the IPL and also played in the Tamil Nadu Premier League with Chepauk Super Gillies and Lyca Kova Kings.
Sudharsan's key strength lies in playing spin bowling. His Chennai teammate Ravichandran Ashwin can vouch for that, who was thrilled to bits when the youngster was picked for the South African tour.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo in an interview, the batter said that his experience and exposure to fast bowling has helped him evolve. With fast and pacy pitches to be expected in South Africa, Sudharsan will leave no stone unturned when he faces some of the top bowlers in international cricket.
Teams:
South Africa (Playing XI): Reeza Hendricks, Tony de Zorzi, Rassie van der Dussen, Aiden Markram(c), Heinrich Klaasen(w), David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Andile Phehlukwayo, Keshav Maharaj, Nandre Burger, Tabraiz Shamsi
India (Playing XI): KL Rahul(w/c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sai Sudharsan, Shreyas Iyer, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar
