In this chat with\u00a0The Hindu<\/i>, the 24-year-old Tamil Nadu batter opens up about his \u201cbest\u00a0IPL\u00a0season\u201d as well as his experience playing Test cricket over the last year. Excerpts:<\/p>\n
How do you see this purple patch?<\/b><\/p>\n
I am feeling really grateful for whatever I have done in the\u00a0IPL. The way it started, the way it unfolded, the way it ended \u2014 it was very interesting.<\/p>\n
I have always had good starts in every\u00a0IPL. So this one was even more interesting because I didn\u2019t score much in the first four to five games. Mentally, I won\u2019t say it was challenging but more interesting, as belief, trust, and everything increased day by day rather than becoming doubtful. It was a very good\u00a0IPL, and it was my best year.<\/p>\n
Does it make it more special that you recovered from a tough start?<\/b><\/p>\n
Yes, for sure, because when you are scoring, it is easy. When you keep playing, it is easier to believe and to be in a confident frame of mind. But when you don\u2019t score, it\u2019s even more important to feel the same way.<\/p>\n
So, in that way, it was very interesting, and I learnt a lot in this\u00a0IPL. When it is not converted into evidence, are you still trusting the process and your abilities? Mentally, when you enter the game, are you still thinking about not scoring in the previous match, or are you entering in an expressive frame of mind to make an impact for the team? So I think, in those ways, I learnt a lot \u2014 to not take the past into the game.<\/p>\n
Was there a specific game that unlocked something for you?<\/b><\/p>\n
Yes. I got a hundred against\u00a0RCB. That was the game which actually changed quite a lot of things. We lost that match, yes, but that game gave us momentum. From there, the team also did well. The team faced a challenge: we were still doing well, but something was not going right. Then we won in Chennai, and from there, everybody\u2019s game started going the way we wanted.<\/p>\n
You came into the\u00a0IPL\u00a0after an injury lay-off due to a rib fracture. How difficult was the recovery?<\/b><\/p>\n
Definitely, it was not easy because breathing was difficult. But sometimes, when you get a break, you have time to think about the game. You have time to really introspect about what you want to do. So I saw it as a blessing in disguise. At that time, I wanted to use it wisely and productively, so that I would still bat a lot mentally. I couldn\u2019t do it physically, of course, but mentally I batted a lot and didn\u2019t feel that I was away from the sport.<\/p>\n
What did you specifically work on during those three to four months?<\/b><\/p>\n
It\u2019s more about the feel. The feeling of batting. All the small things I wanted to improve, all the small additions I wanted to make \u2014 I just did them in my head. I tried to visualise it more and sustain that feeling.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a lot of talk around strike-rates. However, you and your opening partner,\u00a0Shubman\u00a0Gill, took a different approach, trying to bat long. How do you see it in the bigger picture when the demands of T20 cricket keep changing? Do you feel tempted to play at a higher tempo?<\/b><\/p>\n
We\u2019re not looking at it as \u2018We have to play at this strike-rate to win\u2019. We\u2019re looking at it from a broader perspective \u2014 what is required for the game, rather than individual statistical points. We\u2019re not looking at it as a stats-oriented approach. Yes, stats are very important for improving and getting better. But we\u2019re not looking to predetermine how we\u2019ll play. If we\u2019re chasing 240, we have to play at a 200 strike-rate anyway. It\u2019s situational, rather than saying we can only do well if we play at a particular strike-rate. As a team, as you rightly said, we\u2019re trying to give ourselves the best chance of winning.<\/p>\n
At the same time, don\u2019t you feel it could affect your personal career?<\/b><\/p>\n
It\u2019s actually a great question because it\u2019s actually a challenge as well. But I feel winning is the ultimate recipe, or the ultimate key, to whatever you want to do. You don\u2019t have to think personally. For a team, winning is the ultimate recipe. If you make your team win, you will eventually get the call-up and recognition. Everything else is secondary. It is a by-product. The ultimate goal is to have the team\u2019s intent to win. The way I\u2019m looking at it is: Am I giving myself the best possible chance to contribute? I feel that if we put a constraint like that in place, we are holding ourselves back.<\/p>\n
![\"Gujarat](\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/incoming\/tpd01\/article71259500.ece\/alternates\/FREE_1200\/IPL%202026%20GT%20vs%20RCB%2059.JPG\" "\\"Gujarat")
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Gujarat Titans player Sai Sudharsan.
\n | Photo Credit:
\n FILE PHOTO: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP\n <\/p>\n
<\/div>\n You have now scored more than 700 runs for the second consecutive season. How do you ensure you keep improving to stay ahead in a format that keeps changing?<\/b><\/p>\n Even during the tournament, the game is evolving. This year, there were two spectrums of games. Either they were very low-scoring or very high-scoring. At the start of the tournament, there were three or four situations in which it was still possible to hit the ball correctly. I learnt certain things from that. I got out to balls that weren\u2019t really wicket-taking deliveries. They were short, into the body, down the side of the leg. So I felt there was still space for the right movements to happen, and then you score runs. I worked more on that. Similarly, there were many examples from last year and this year. At certain times, I wasn\u2019t finishing games, so I wanted to finish games. I feel I\u2019m aware of those things. I keep building on them so the batting works automatically.<\/p>\n How do you handle not being in India\u2019s T20 plans despite two very good\u00a0IPL\u00a0seasons?<\/b><\/p>\n There is nothing to handle. No disappointment, no expectation. We have a job in our hands. As simple as that. I know it may sound contradictory to many people. Yes, everybody wants to play for the country, and I want it even more. But what\u2019s important is understanding what is within our control and what we should be hungry for. In the\u00a0IPL, the important job is to put the team where we want it to be and win the tournament.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the biggest priority. Selection comes as a by-product. There are still many things I can improve. I can work on those, come back to the\u00a0IPL, and make an even bigger impact. Those are the things I have in my control, and I will back myself to do that every year.<\/p>\n Your assessment of your first year as a Test cricketer?<\/b><\/p>\n It is interesting. Even a small weakness or flaw will be challenged. As a batter, you have to keep improving and evolving from all those small things. It changes every single day and every single session. To be versatile enough to understand that and be smart is very important. But the satisfaction you get from scoring runs in Tests is unparalleled. You toil for five days. The hard work on the fourth or fifth day, when you get those runs or that win, is just very satisfying.<\/p>\n What have been the biggest learnings from the first year?<\/b><\/p>\n We have to keep evolving as batters, and there isn\u2019t much time to do so. You have to be smart enough to pick things up and evolve. I feel it is all about owning that place. I could have owned it a bit more. I could have been a bit freer. The more ownership I take, and the more courage I have to go out there and express myself, the more I feel I\u2019ll be able to bring out the best version of myself. That\u2019s probably the biggest learning for me.<\/p>\n A little bit of that happened during the Afghanistan series. It helped me express myself more rather than trying to be right.<\/p>\n But hats off to my team: because of the support staff, the communication, and the way they supported and backed me \u2014 I was very happy with that.<\/p>\n Even in the Kolkata Test (vs. South Africa), which I didn\u2019t play, I was very comfortable because the communication was very clear. We were looking at an extra spinner to give us the best chance. The communication was very clear, and as a player, you need that freedom.<\/p>\n During the West Indies series,\u00a0GG\u00a0(Gautam\u00a0Gambhir) sir was very communicative. He backed me really well. In the Delhi Test (vs. West Indies), I was actually happy because I understood my batting better. I needed that clarity at that time, so it was very helpful to me.<\/p>\n I feel my batting has also become a little more fine-tuned. Decision-making, footwork, and movement in the crease\u2014these experiences have helped me further fine-tune my game.<\/p>\n After the South Africa tour, I had quite a lot of time to prepare, understand those things and fine-tune them.<\/p>\n \n India captain Shubman Gill with Sai Sudharsan during a practice session ahead of the first Test match between India and South Africa in Kolkata. <\/div>\n You have been dismissed twice in the 80s. Do you regret not converting those starts?<\/b><\/p>\n I\u2019d agree that it was a little disappointing not to convert them. But at the same time, I was really happy with the level of control I had and the intensity of my play. The feeling while batting was really good, and the control was good. So I\u2019m looking forward to building on that. The big score will come when it\u2019s supposed to come.<\/p>\n There has been some criticism surrounding your First Class average. Are you aware of that, and how do you handle it?<\/b><\/p>\n Honestly, I\u2019m not even aware of my own statistics. I don\u2019t know how many matches I\u2019ve played, how many hundreds I\u2019ve scored or what my average is. Even in the\u00a0IPL, I don\u2019t know how many games I\u2019ve played or how many runs I\u2019ve scored. The reason is simple \u2014 I don\u2019t want to judge myself based on statistics. I believe more in the experience than the numbers.<\/p>\n One game might be on a raging turner. Another game could be on a seaming wicket. Every match presents a different challenge. So it\u2019s very difficult for me to look at my average and tell myself, \u2018I\u2019m batting well because my average is good\u2019 or, \u2018I\u2019m batting badly because my average isn\u2019t good enough\u2019. For me, it\u2019s about being fully present in that particular situation and doing the best I possibly can.<\/p>\n How was your experience of playing those two four-day games in Sri Lanka?<\/b><\/p>\n It was a really valuable experience and a great opportunity for us to understand the conditions. There was more breeze, a little more bounce and a little more turn than what we\u2019re generally used to. Even the bowling culture there is different.<\/p>\n The bowlers are extremely consistent and disciplined rather than relying on something extraordinary. As a batter, getting more game time in Test cricket is always the best opportunity to learn.<\/p>\n Luckily, we played at Galle, so we got an opportunity to understand how the wickets behaved and how they generally prepared the surfaces. Overall, it was a really good experience and a great opportunity for us to understand the conditions.<\/p>\n \n Sai Sudharsan during the fifth day of the second Test match at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. <\/div>\n Can you elaborate on the impact of the breeze?<\/b><\/p>\n The strong breeze changes everything. Because of the wind, the ball\u2019s line changes quite a lot. Experiencing that was really valuable. It\u2019s actually very similar to England. In England, the fast bowlers get late movement. Here, because of the breeze, the spinners get late drift. So you can\u2019t commit too early, and you can\u2019t judge the length too early. You have to keep judging the ball as late as possible because it keeps changing its line.<\/p>\n What\u2019s the next month looking like for you?<\/b><\/p>\n The next month will be a proper off-season with some long practice sessions. Overall, it\u2019s a great window to work hard and build towards the coming season. There are two main areas. The first is from a physical perspective. I want to become stronger, leaner, and fitter, especially in my movement and recovery, so that I can recover better and faster.<\/p>\n The second is my batting. I want to continue fine-tuning my game against spin. We have a series against Sri Lanka, where the conditions are quite similar, and then a couple of Tests in New Zealand, which will obviously present a different challenge. So my focus is on improving my batting against spin, better understanding my footwork, and continuing to develop my game.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"India](\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/incoming\/gnnirf\/article71259501.ece\/alternates\/FREE_1200\/022IND.jpg\" "\\"India")
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\n | Photo Credit:
\n FILE PHOTO: K.R. DEEPAK\n <\/p>\n![\"Sai](\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/incoming\/a556xe\/article71259508.ece\/alternates\/FREE_1200\/2150_26_11_2025_11_13_32_1_IND_SA_26112025_08.JPG\" "\\"Sai")
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\n | Photo Credit:
\n FILE PHOTO: RITU RAJ KONWAR\n <\/p>\n