NEW CHANDIGARH: B Sai Sudharsan might not have been able to take Gujarat Titans across the line in the Eliminator against Mumbai Indians at the New PCA Stadium, New Chandigarh, but the youngster walked away with plenty of goodwill. Having amassed an impressive 759 runs (No 1 in the list as of May 31), Sudharsan had a remarkable journey. The left-handed batter from Tamil Nadu became the youngest to cross the 700-run mark on Friday. But that was not enough. Despite his contribution of 80 (off 49 balls) on the day, GT fell short of Mumbai's target to bow out.
Given the team's lofty ambitions, Sai Sudharsan is certainly stung by this defeat. "I mean it is good to see that I had a good season or I was consistent enough for my team, but I think when the job is not finished, you do not get that ultimate satisfaction when you get back to your home," he reflected after the match.
"There is a lot of disappointment in the environment because the way we played the first 12 or 13 games, which was fantastic to see as a group or as a team from outside, even when you look at a season like this, I think our team was so good. They did a lot of things really well, so finishing a tournament like this does not give me that complete satisfaction, but appreciating the performances and, of course, learning from it is the thing forward," Sai Sudharsan added.
Sai Sudharsan now has a fresh challenge in store. Having earned his maiden Test call-up for the five-match series in England, he'll be looking to keep up his rich run in the five-day format. He was also named in the A-team squad for the second unofficial Test, but Sai Sudharsan was not prepared to leave the IPL before June 4. "We were not thinking about when to leave for India or the Test team, but if that was the plan, we would have left on June 6, but now we will have to have a conversation and see how it goes," he said.
One of the promising young batters in the domestic circuit, there is a likelihood that Sai Sudharsan might get to play in the top-order, especially after Rohit Sharma's retirement. Asked about the challenges and preparation that lie ahead, Sai Sudharsan said that it is a lot about mindset and the tweaks he will have to make. The youngster has been a part of the Surrey county team for the last two years and expects the experience to come in handy.
"I mean definitely, county cricket, I think I have played seven games, so it gave me a great experience to be honest. It improved my batting in multiple facets in terms of technique and in terms of basics, too. It told me basics are the most important thing in batting, so I think it should help me, and I will focus more on what I learnt and I will try to be aware and create that awareness before going into the series," said Sai Sudharsan.
"I think it is all about mindset and decision-making, so definitely, after three months of white-ball tournament, certain things would have changed in your batting. I think focussing more on basics and bringing back those to red-ball cricket will take some time, I think we will have some good time before the series starts," he signed off.
