Sai Sudharsan always looking to learn and improve, says Hemang Badani

Meteoric rise: Badani attributes Sai Sudharsan’s stunning growth to his commitment and dedication.
| Photo Credit: AP

Rising star Sai Sudharsan has had a stellar run in the last 12 months. He has won the TNPL, Deodhar Trophy, Irani Cup, and County Championship (playing for Surrey) this year. His batting exploits in the 50-over Vijay Hazare tournament helped Tamil Nadu make the knockouts, which culminated in his India call-up for the ODI series against South Africa.

In his debut against South Africa in the first ODI, he looked very comfortable facing a strong Proteas’ bowling unit and scored a match-winning half-century in tough conditions.

Sai Sudharsan’s journey has been quite remarkable since the time his name began doing the rounds in the 2021 TNPL season where he was the second best run-scorer with an impressive 358 from eight matches. He scored five half-centuries at a strike-rate of over 140 for his team Lyca Kovai Kings.

All praise

Hemang Badani has known Sai Sudharsan since he was 12. “This meteoric rise has not come easy for Sai Sudharsan. It is his commitment, dedication, and sincerity towards the sport. He is always at the ground every single day for training and practice, looking to learn and improve,” said Badani.

Badani shared an interesting incident that happened during the 2023 edition of the TNPL which will sum up the youngster’s commitment and drive towards the game. “Lyca Kovai Kings played the opening match of the tournament in Coimbatore and Sai Sudharsan made 80 the previous night.

“As the coach I always go around the ground in the morning to check the pitch. At around 11 a.m., when I entered, I saw Sai Sudharsan running around the ground. I quietly saw the pitch and sat down to see what he was up to.

After he finished, I asked him why he was running after playing a long innings, to which Sai Sudharsan replied ‘I want to prepare for the next match and for that I have to be mentally ready and this is like a recovery run’. Now that is commitment, which shows the boy’s hunger and desire and that is why he is very special” said Badani.