On the eve of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Sai Sudharsan stuck to his routine by shadow-batting on the covered square. It helped calm his nerves and prepare him mentally for the task at hand. The hard work paid off on day one, as Sudharsan scored his maiden Test fifty, navigating the challenging conditions with skill and composure.
“I do it every day. It’s my go-to thing. So, I do it whenever possible, whichever time possible, I always visualise it. It’s a great, great skill which anybody can possess and mentally you’ll be ready,” Sudharsan said during the post-day press conference here on Wednesday.
In his Test debut in Leeds, Sudharsan did little wrong. However, Karun Nair was selected ahead of him for the following two games.
This time, the southpaw made his presence felt by scoring 61 off 151 balls, effectively replace Nair. Sudharsan played close to the body on a slow pitch, eschewing his expansive drives. In the final session, he was dismissed while attempting a short similar to one he had earlier pulled off Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer.
Stokes used odd balls down the leg side and bouncers to distract Sudharsan who saw it coming considering his soft dismissal at Leeds. Even when Sudharsan pulled him for a four early in his innings, the England captain clapped as part of his gamesmanship.
“It was actually really enjoyable experience, to be honest, because one of the best bowlers (Stokes) in the country is steaming in, trying to hit you hard and you being there and giving your best for the team, that’s one of the best feelings you can have,” he said on his battle with Stokes.
“And of course, playing against England on their home soil, definitely you have to be ready for that aggressive nature. So, I enjoyed it very much. Definitely, I was disappointed that I got out in that shot. Probably next time I’ll give my best.” he added.
After his dismissal, Sudharsan said batting from the pavilion end was more challenging.
“I felt the dismissal, it held a bit more and bounced a bit more from the pavilion end. Actually, quite a few balls were bouncing a bit more from the pavilion end. I feel that we can see a bit more in the coming days. There’s a bit of variable bounce and it’s a two paced wicket as well and it was overcast also. So, throughout the day there was cloud cover and the ball was moving,” Sai said.
“I want to negotiate that really well and I thought I played a bit tighter and took some time in the wicket,” said Sudharsan, referring to his batting approach at the start of the innings.
It was not the 23-year-old’s day on Wednesday, but he did enough to justify his selection. He could be the number three India has been looking for quite some time, with the advantage of age on his side.
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