CHENNAI: SHORTLY before lunch on Day One of the first Test, the moment was finally here. B Sai Sudharsan, wearing his India whites, was striding out to the playing strip at Headingley. There were other options but the Indian management had seen what they had liked not just in the nets over the last 10 days but also with his aptitude, attitude and work ethic.
Coming on the back of a stellar IPL season, where he finished as the leading run-scorer, it might be easy to assume that he has been picked based on his T20 performance. However, that is not entirely the case. His rise to the top is more about the potential he has and how he has made the most of every chance that has come his way, irrespective of the format, opponent or conditions right from his early days.
Former India cricketer Hemang Badani remembers the days he spent watching him train. “He played a lot of age-group cricket with my son,” Badani recalled in an interaction with this daily facilitated by Sony Sports Network. “They went to the same academy for practice. I have seen him at the same time at the academy and also the academy matches,” he added.
Such was the impression he left that Badani did not wait too long to make sure the teenager played for his team. In the 2018 Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), Badani, head coach of Chepauk Super Gillies, signed the then 16-year-old. He might not have gotten a game, but that was his first taste of such a stage. The debut eventually came with Lyca Kovai Kings in 2021, but by then, he had become a different person altogether.
Son of Usha Bharadwaj and R Bharadwaj — mother a state-level volleyball player who became his trainer, and father an athlete who competed at the 1993 South Asian Games — he had realised what it takes to get to the highest level during the pandemic. “Earlier, I did not train with her. Everywhere I went, other players used to ask about my mother, who trained them. A few years ago, we started working together. She has sacrificed so much. I started knowing her value, and now even happier that I am working with her,” Sai Sudharsan had once told this daily.
In the years that followed, Sai Sudharsan piled on runs — first for Alwarpet CC, then for Jolly Rovers (both Sanmar Group) — in the TNCA first Division League. He also went on to play for the state first in the shortest format before featuring in the longer formats. What helped him do that was his work ethic and the volume of training he had done to be ready for any situation. Hariesh J, involved in player development and a support staff with Kovai Kings, has seen the TN batter from close quarters over the years.
“The first impression I got was his work ethic. Everyone has talent, but his work ethic stands out, whether it is fitness or other things. He is not just a hard worker, but is very smart. The most important thing is he prepares really well before the game. He studies all the bowlers and spends a lot of time watching videos. Then he prepares according to their skills and according to his skills. What shots he can play, what shots he can't play. So, all these things he analyses before playing the game,” explains Hariesh, who is also the coach of the Jolly Rovers team.
He recalls a double century by his former ward against Vijay CC, whose bowling attack comprised R Sai Kishore, L Vignesh, Sandeep Warrier (all first-class cricketers) in February 2023. “He opened the batting and scored a double century. A lot of people can take him as an example. In the past two to three years, he has really worked hard and come up the ladder. He got the orange cap in the IPL this year. But he was consistent the last two years. And even in the Ranji Trophy when he played this year, he got a double-hundred against Delhi. So, he is a great example for youngsters to idolise. Because of his work ethic and everything. What a cricketer requires, he does everything,” he adds.
In saying all this, Sai Sudharsan is just getting started with his first-class career. His numbers — average under 40 across 30 matches 1957 runs — are not something that would break down the doors into most Indian bating units. However, once in a while, selectors and the team management look past the numbers to see the potential of a player and what they bring to the table.
“Obviously, he has been fast-tracked,” said Badani. “He has done well in white-ball cricket and has the temperament to play at the highest level. I think he's done exceedingly well in the sense that he's gradually worked on his game. He's gradually worked on his ball-leaving. I think he's still a work in progress, to be fair. That's why he has an average of 39 in first-class cricket. And he is somebody who is picked on his potential. Selectors, at some point, pick players purely on potential, and they see value. If it's only a numbers game where you pick players based on numbers, then you don't necessarily need selectors who are supposed to have an eye for things. You might as well have a computer that can pick players. Cricket doesn't work like that."
Indeed. As he received his Test cap from Cheteshwar Pujara shortly before start of play at a sun-kissed Leeds, all the TN youngster would want is to continue what he has done so far.
Shortly after he walked out to bat, he nicked one to Jamie Smith behind the stumps without opening the scoring. But he will get more chances to make a lasting impact.
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