Sai Sudharsan revealed that the backing of head coach Gautam Gambhir gave him the confidence and clarity to play his natural game, as the young batter repaid that faith with a composed 81 on the opening day of India’s one-off Test against Afghanistan.
On the eve of the match, Gambhir had thrown his weight behind the Tamil Nadu left-hander, making it clear that six matches were not enough to judge a player’s ability and stressing that Sudharsan would be given a long rope as India continued to build towards the future.
IND VS AFG 1ST TEST DAY 1: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARD
The assurance from the team management appeared to have the desired effect as Sudharsan played with confidence and intent, helping India recover from an early setback with a crucial 139-run stand for the second wicket alongside KL Rahul.
Speaking at the end of the day’s play, Sudharsan said the trust shown by the coach, captain and team management removed doubts about selection and allowed him to focus solely on contributing to the side.
“I mean, it gives so much freedom. It gives so much certainty mentally that when the coach, the team, and the captain support you, back you, and want you to do well for the country. They want you to do well for the team and win games. It is such an honour at the first place,” Sudharsan said.
“Obviously, it gives a lot of freedom for you to express yourself and do what you can do at your best, rather than thinking about ‘will I play the next game or not?’ or whatever thought of that sort. That never arises because you’ve got great freedom from the team. I think it’s a pleasure.”
While Sudharsan’s innings was one of the standout performances of the day, the left-hander was quick to acknowledge Rahul’s role in helping him settle in the middle. The pair stitched together a partnership worth 139 runs, with Sudharsan contributing 81 before falling short of a century.
According to Sudharsan, the discussions with Rahul were centred on understanding the conditions and staying one step ahead of the bowlers rather than determining who would take charge of the scoring.
“The conversation was more about understanding what was happening, understanding how the wicket was behaving, and who was bowling what. With KL bhai, you know, he gives so much composure. When I bat with him, he gives so much certainty. It helps as a batter, and he sees the game very well, so he gives a lot of useful cues which we would use in the game,” he said.
The innings also came after India’s batting unit spent considerable time discussing ways to improve against spin following their struggles on turning surfaces in South Africa. Sudharsan revealed that the focus was not merely on surviving against slow bowlers but on finding scoring opportunities and maintaining pressure on the opposition.
“I think the biggest conversation was around how well we can play spin, how well we can understand the conditions, and score runs out of it rather than just looking to play time. Personally, for me, mentally it was more about believing and trusting my abilities and what I can do as a batsman.
“And tactically, we were having a lot of conversations around what we can do to disturb the bowler, what options can we take so that we keep on ticking the scoreboard where the pressure is always there, rather than just soaking up and playing time.”
With Afghanistan expected to rely heavily on their spin attack as the match progresses, Sudharsan believes the surface could become increasingly challenging for batters over the next few days.
“I feel it can start spinning regularly in the coming days and it can get a bit slower as well. Slower and lower as well, is what I feel the way it’s behaving now.”
His assessment will be encouraging for India’s bowlers, who are likely to find more assistance as the Test wears on. For Sudharsan, however, the opening day was another important step in establishing himself at the highest level, rewarded by an innings that justified the faith Gambhir had publicly placed in him before the match.
– Ends
