He’s been an indispensable part of our batting line-up. A reliable player who turns up with big knocks when the team needs it the most. Sai Sudharsan is just the player you need when your goals are sky-high. And today, we saw the young gun don the Indian colours for the first time, against South Africa, and finish with 55 in just 43 balls.

It’s been a dream year for Sudharsan. Be it his cracking 47-ball 96 against the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2023 final that had seen even the Chennai faithful applaud his heroics, or the ton against Pakistan ‘A’ in the Emerging Asia Cup or the worthy contributions in the Irani Trophy that helped Rest of India to a win against Ranji champions Saurashtra, our Titan has never shied away from making the most of the opportunities that come his way.

A calculated batter, it’s his ability to accelerate and own the platform that makes Sudharsan stand out. The 22-year-old is a perfect combination of classical strokes with the right flair for innovation. In the two seasons so far, Sudharsan has amassed over 800 runs in 11 First Class matches at an average of over 40 and has scored 1269 runs at an average of over 60 in the List A games. Meanwhile, in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), where he ended up being the highest buy for the season, our Titan scored 371 runs in six innings at a staggering average of 74.20.

But our man believes it’s the experience he gained from playing the final three matches for the eventual champions Surrey in the English County Championships that will help him heading to South Africa. “(In England) I got exposed to new conditions, a new culture, a new way of playing,” he told Hindustan Times. “Because of exposure to those conditions, batting is also getting better. Those were uncomfortable conditions. Getting used to that was also an interesting thing. The opportunity I got to go there and adapt (in England) will help me in South Africa,” he added.