India vs England Squad Live: Sai Sudharsan on England tour
Gujarat Titans opener Sai Sudharsan is delighted over his inclusion in the India A squad for the upcoming England tour, but his immediate focus remains on taking his team to Qualifier 1 and the final of IPL 2025. The 23-year-old, who previously impressed while playing for Surrey and scoring a century for the county side, is now eyeing a potential Test debut after being named in the India A and probable Test squad.
“Mentally, we will have to be switched on for the IPL first. Once that story is over, then we can probably think about the India ‘A’ story. But definitely happy for that opportunity, and I think I would have a great time there,” Sudharsan told reporters on Thursday.
The Tamil Nadu batter currently leads the Orange Cap race with 638 runs in 13 matches and has been a key performer throughout the season.
“Right now, the most important thing is to finish in the top two so that we get an extra opportunity (of playing in Qualifier 2), if at all we need.
“The focus is more on that. Obviously, there are a lot of experiences and learnings in these 13 games (that we have played). So, we keep on filling the gaps wherever we feel like, and we will be ready for the playoffs.” Sudharsan said.
Sudharsan has played a crucial role at the top of the order, combining with skipper Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler to form one of the tournament’s most consistent top threes.
However, against Lucknow Super Giants, all three were dismissed after getting starts, placing the onus on the middle order to chase down a challenging 236.
“I think the IPL is that kind of league where you can’t experiment, even if you qualify early in the tournament. So, I don’t think you can try a lot of different things in the middle order.”
Despite a valiant 89-run partnership between Shahrukh Khan (57 off 29) and Sherfane Rutherford, Gujarat Titans eventually fell short by 33 runs.
“But I feel the middle order has done pretty well because even in the first 6-7 games, Sherfane stepped up and scored many runs in the middle order, changing games for us. Even in Mumbai, he changed the course of the game.
“So, I think even Shahrukh got an opportunity today to showcase his talent. I feel the middle order is on course as well. I don’t think there is any gap or issue in the middle order.
“I feel things went well for all three batters at the top, so they didn’t get many opportunities to play in the first half of the tournament,” he added.
