It was surreal to have the India jersey with my name: Sai Sudharsan 

Vital cog: Sai Sudharsan has been in red-hot form recently.
| Photo Credit: S.S. KUMAR

Ever since his heroics in the IPL, where he scored a brilliant 96 in the final for Gujarat Titans against Chennai Super Kings, B. Sai Sudharsan’s stock has been rising as he hops from one tournament to another.

Days after the IPL, his purple patch continued as he amassed 371 runs in the TNPL, where in six games he scored four half-centuries before enjoying a bit of red-ball cricket, playing for South Zone in the Duleep Trophy in one match.

Following that, in his maiden India-A appearance in the ACC Emerging Cup in Sri Lanka, he had a decent outing with 220 runs from five matches, including an unbeaten century against Pakistan-A in the league phase.

On Sunday, the 21-year-old made a vital half-century (53) for South Zone in the Deodhar Trophy and was involved in a crucial 118-run stand with skipper Mayank Agarwal to help the team beat East Zone and enter the final.

Speaking about representing a national side for the first time, Sai Sudharsan said, “It was surreal to have the India jersey with my name and number, but at the same time, I think there are many more things to do. I was not fully happy with the whole tournament. It is not about the scores, but the way I play is what I am focusing on.”

An India-Pakistan game is one of the most challenging encounters at any level, and the Tami Nadu batter was in the thick of things in the league game, guiding the chase.

“Though there was no extra pressure, the intensity was very high. After the match, I was completely exhausted and crashed to sleep in my room. I was happy I could help the team win,” he said about his best knock of the tour.

While he finished as the third-highest scorer, the youngster felt there are areas he wants to work on, like his game against short-pitch bowling. “I think it is not difficult to adapt to playing short-pitched stuff. It is more about mental clarity. I want to be instinctive and reactive rather than think about what will happen.

“Similarly, even in that century knock, I felt I could have played much better during the middle phase because it was not an easy pitch to rotate strike. But if I can do well on these pitches, it will help me on a good surface. So I am trying to get better in every game,” he said.