Sai Sudharsan’s recent red-ball outing against West Indies in Delhi carried a quiet rhythm. It wasn’t an innings that demanded attention, but it reflected calmness and control. After scoring only seven runs in the first Test, the left-hander came back stronger with a steady 87 in the second.
He didn’t rely on flashy strokes or sudden aggression. Instead, he built his innings with patience and timing. Speaking to Amul Cricket Live, Sudharsan said he stayed calm before the match and focused only on his shot selection, patience, and belief in his method.
He credited his series against Australia A for building his confidence. In those matches, he scored two fifties and a hundred. Those performances reminded him of his ability to play long innings. He praised captain Shubman Gill for giving clarity and belief to the dressing room. The Tamil Nadu batsman admired Gill’s confidence and his knack for turning good starts into match-winning hundreds. Sudharsan said he let things unfold naturally rather than force them. That mindset helped him play freely without feeling the weight of expectation.
“I was not thinking about the pressure or the magnitude of the game. I was coming off a good India A series, so my focus was only on how I could make the innings better. I tried not to think about anything else, just to stay as calm as possible and not get caught up in the occasion. It was a very composed innings for me. Before the game, I had decided to take a bit more time and let things happen naturally, rather than forcing them," stated Sudharsan while speaking on Amul Cricket Live.
“The role clarity was definitely there from Shubman, and what I admire most about him is his belief, the belief to come back stronger, to convert starts into big hundreds, and to make the team win. When you see him up close, you realise how much conviction he plays with. I feel that’s something I should learn from him, that self-belief is such an important quality to have,” he added.
The Long Road to No. 3 for Sai Sudarshan
His 87 against West Indies started a fresh debate about Sudharsan’s long-term future in India’s Test side. Sudarshan's calmness impressed many, but consistency still looks like an issue. In seven Test innings so far, he has scored 147 runs at an average of 21.00, with two fifties to his name. These numbers show promise, but they also reveal that he is still settling at this level. The No. 3 position in Indian Test cricket carries a legacy of discipline and reliability. Players like Rahul Dravid and Cheteshwar Pujara built that legacy over the years.
Sudharsan needs more than talent to secure that spot permanently. He must show endurance, adaptability, and mental strength to handle different conditions and expectations. His mature knock against the West Indies showed what he can become, but he must perform consistently to earn that trust. The next few series will test his growth. How well he turns potential into habit will decide his long-term place.
