England tour beckons, but GT's Sai Sudharsan's focus is on IPL 2025 playoffs
Gujarat Titans opener Sai Sudharsan is excited about the prospect of representing India A on the upcoming England tour but remains fully focused on the immediate challenge - guiding his side through the IPL 2025 playoffs.India A will play two first-class matches against the England Lions at Canterbury and Northampton on May 30 and June 6 before concluding their outing with an intra-squad match against Team India on June 13 at Beckenham. Batters Shubman Gill and Sudharsan are likely to join the squad after the IPL final concludes on June 3.advertisementCurrently leading the Orange Cap race with 638 runs in 13 matches, the Tamil Nadu left-hander has been one of the standout young batters in this IPL season. Since making an impression with a century on his first-class debut in 2022, Sudharsan has steadily developed into a reliable opener, earning recognition from selectors and fans alike.
Also Read: Rishabh Pant wants LSG to learn and move forward from disappointing IPL 2025In addition to his exploits in the IPL, Sudharsan has gained valuable experience playing county cricket for Surrey, where he also scored a century—albeit while batting in the middle order. As an opener in first-class cricket, he boasts a commendable record of 1,397 runs in 33 innings at an average of 42.33, including four centuries."I know I'll be heading to the India A tour, but right now, my focus has to be fully on the IPL. Once this chapter is done, then I can shift my attention to the India A opportunity, which I'm really excited about. I'm confident it will be a great experience," Sudharsan said after Gujarat Titans' match against Lucknow Super Giants.advertisementFor only the second time this year, GT's top three all fell for under 50 in the same match. After Avesh dismissed Gill with a sharp catch from Abdul Samad, Akash bowled a superb cutter to break Buttler's defense, leaving GT at 97/3 halfway through. The middle order, led by Shahrukh Khan and Sherfane Rutherford, briefly revived the innings with aggressive hitting. They punished bowlers like Avesh and Shahbaz Ahmed, smashing boundaries and sixes to keep GT in the chase.Rutherford (38) and Shahrukh (56), both powerful hitters, kept Gujarat in the game until the 17th over, before William O'Rourke and Avesh Khan stepped up to secure a 33-run victory for LSG.Sudharsan brushed aside any concerns regarding GT's middle order, saying that both Sherfane Rutherford and Shahrukh Khan have shown with the bat that they can finish games for the Titans."I think the IPL is that kind of league where you can't experiment, even if you qualify early in the tournament. So, I don't think you can try a lot of different things in the middle order. But I feel the middle order has done pretty well because even in the first 6-7 games, Sherfane stepped up and scored many runs in the middle order, changing games for us. Even in Mumbai, he changed the course of the game. So, I think even Shahrukh got an opportunity today to showcase his talent. I feel the middle order is on course as well. I don't think there is any gap or issue in the middle order. I feel things went well for all three batters at the top, so they didn't get many opportunities to play in the first half of the tournament," Sai said when asked about GT's middle order.Must Watch
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