‘I saw him play on a seaming pitch and he didn't do well': Ex-TN coach says Sai Sudharsan's technique not equipped for England Tests
Tamil Nadu's rising star Sai Sudharsan made the cut for India's 18-member Test squad on Saturday, with his maiden call-up into the red-ball side coming ahead of a daunting five-match tour to England.
The left-hander's batting technique has received several plaudits in the IPL 2025 season, where he has seemingly raised the bar in his white-ball repertoire. However, Sudharsan's existing batting techniques would not be enough to withstand the challenges of the Dukes ball in England, feels former Tamil Nadu coach Sulakshan Kulkarni.
Kulkarni, who worked with Sudharsan during the 2023-24 season when he was in charge of the TN team, picked up on his underwhelming First-Class record and said the youngster needs to reinforce his technique to counter the moving ball.
'His domestic record is not great. When I was the coach, I saw him play on a seaming track in at least two matches. And he didn't play well there. His technique against the moving ball needs to improve,' Kulkarni was quoted as saying by Times of India.
The former Mumbai captain who has had minor county stints in the past said that Sudharsan will have to curb the range of his strokes to succeed against the English attack.
A brilliant moment for Sai Sudharsan! 🫶💯
🤎 | #SurreyCricket https://t.co/rin3LLBhRR pic.twitter.com/76IvDxViih
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) August 30, 2024
'He has a tendency of playing away from the body while the secret of success in England is to play late and play the ball right under your nose. He has to curb some of his strokes and should play straight and close to the body. He has to work to get the technique right before the tour,' Kulkarni added.
Sudharsan has previously featured in two County stints with Surrey in 2023 and 2024, averaging 35. In his last outing for the side, Sudharsan cracked his maiden First-Class century in English conditons while batting at No. 6. Overall, the 23-year-old averages 39.93 for 1957 runs in 29 FC outings since his debut in 2022.
Leading the batting charts in the IPL, Sudharsan has racked up 679 runs in 14 innings for the Titans. Post the IPL Playoffs, Sudharsan and skipper Gill are slated to participate in a match for India A against the England Lions starting June 6 before the Tests begin two weeks later.
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