Matthew Hayden — It has been a privilege to watch Sudharsan and Shubman prepare

Gujarat Titans opener Sai Sudharsan’s batting in IPL 2025 was poetry in motion. The southpaw was at his elegant best for a major part of the season and eventually scaled a peak when he bagged the Orange Cap prize for his 759-run effort.

But the 24-year-old is not resting on past laurels. In fact, Sai Sudharsan, in batting coach Matthew Hayden’s words, is going above and beyond to become better than the near-perfect player he was last term. “It has been a privilege to watch him and Shubman Gill prepare,” Hayden said.

“As Ricky Ponting said, you do not get better by doing less of something. Sai [Sudharsan] is a phenomenal example of that. Ponting was one of the hardest working cricketers during my time. What Sai does would be two times of what Ponting ever did. He is one of those guys who has just embraced the evolution,” added the Australian.

Like Sai Sudharsan, his ‘partner in crime’ Gill is hungry to leave a lasting impression. “Shubman is a very clear thinker of the game, and he brings in a lot of confidence. He also brings a bit of a swagger of the modern generation, which I really enjoy. He is shaping himself and his own destiny. But irrespective of the side he plays for, he is very unselfish,” Hayden said of India’s Test and ODI captain.

If Sudharsan and Gill get going, the opposition bowlers may start scratching their heads.

Published on Mar 30, 2026