A young Sai Sudharsan impressed everyone with his stellar knock of 96 in just 47 balls against Chennai Super Kings at Ahmedabad, in the IPL 2023 final.
Here’s a look into his journey thus far:
Sudharsan started playing the game at a very young age. He shot to limelight in 2019-20 when he scored 635 runs for Alwarpet CC in the Raja of Palayampatti Shield.
The T20 debut
It was in 2021 that Sai debuted in the T20 format for Tamil Nadu in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He also made his presence felt in the Vijay Hazare Trophy as he made his debut in List A. The youngster caught everyone’s attention with his consistency, thereby earning himself a place in the Tamil Nadu Premier League.
He notched up 358 runs from 8 innings at a strike rate of 143.77, becoming the second highest run-scorer. He ensured he took his team Lyca Koval Kings to the knockout stages.
The IPL entry
In 2022, Gujarat Titans made him a part of their team. It was against Punjab Kings that he made his debut. In that season, he scored 165 runs from 5 games, also bagging a half-century.
Such a performance only ensured that in the 2023 season, Lyca Koval Kings brought him for a record Rs 21.6 lakh for the TNPL.
Hard work pays off
While the young gun soaks in the limelight, it is to be remembered that he has worked really hard to achieve success in life. During the Covid years, when cricket itself suffered a lot, Sai ensured he used the adversity as an opportunity to hone his skills. He used to travel almost 30 kms a day even during the pandemic-induced restrictions to the outskirts of Chennai. Not just playing cricket, he has also worked on being calm during tense situations.
“I felt a lot of pressure in the last game. I came to the realisation that being more calm is much better and I have the ability to do much better. I felt a bit more calm in this game,” he told PTI.
With his stupendous performance, he has drawn a lot of praises from the cricket world.
Even master blaster Sachin Tendulkar could not hold back his praises for Sai!
Sudharsan comes from a family of sportspersons. His father was a national-level athlete representing India at the South Asian Games in 1993. His mother was a state level volleyball player.