Tamil Nadu Batter Sai Sudharsan made his debut for the national team yesterday against South Africa in Johannesburg. The elegant left-hander batter Sai Sudharsan scored an impressive knock of 55 off just 43 deliveries helping India chase down 117 inside 17 overs.
The Lefthander from Chennai opened up on his feelings after his first game. India registered a thumping victory over the mighty Proteas and bamboozled them in all the 3 facets of the game. Arshdeep Singh was the wrecker in chief who bowled impeccable lines & lengths.
It is amazing to play for the country- Sai Sudharsan
Sudharsan said it was a dream come true and said it was special receiving his debut cap from skipper KL Rahul. Speaking to Star Sports after his debut game, the batter said he has a collection of all his debut caps he received during all stages of cricket. Sudharsan said,
“It is amazing first to play for the country and then contribute for the team as well. I think every small kid who started playing cricket started wanting to play for the country and do their best for the team. So, I think, I had a great outing there first time,” said Sai Sudharsan.
Sudharsan added,
“It was a wonderful feeling, and I love that culture of giving caps wherever. I started getting the caps in Tamil Nadu. I have a separate hanger in my house to keep every cap, whichever I get from the huddle. KL Bhai (Rahul) giving it is definitely special,”
I played an India A game as well, so I had some time to adjust with the conditions- Sai Sudharsan after his debut
The left-hander has been in South Africa for some time now. He played a few games for India A against South Africa A. He said that those experiences helped him to adjust to the conditions. Bowling first Indian bowlers let the ball talk bundling South Africa out for just 116 runs.
Pacers Arshdeep and Avesh Khan shared 9 wickets among them. Chasing a small total Opener Gaikwad got out early but Senior batter Shreyas Iyer and Sudharsan scored fifties helping India reach the target in just 16.4 overs.
Speaking about the conditions in South Africa, Sai Sudharsan said,
“I felt it settled a bit, but it was still a pretty different wicket to bat on. It was difficult to get going, but we had good communication between us, so it helped us adjust to the conditions as well,”
He added,
“It is a bit different from India, with a little bit of extra bounce. So before I came here I tried to talk to many former cricketers who played in South Africa and tried to get as much information I could before coming here. I played an India A game as well, so I had some time to adjust with it (conditions),”
Sudharsan’s returns in his debut game has only added to India’s depth in batting quality.