"Someone's loss is someone else's gain" - Irfan Pathan lauds Sai Sudharsan for grabbing his chance in Kane Williamson's absence

Irfan Pathan has lauded Sai Sudharsan for making the most of the opportunity presented to him to bat at No. 3 for the Gujarat Titans (GT) in their first two games of IPL 2023 in Kane Williamson's absence.

Hardik Pandya and Co. restricted the Delhi Capitals (DC) to 162/8 after asking them to bat first at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Tuesday, April 4. Sudharsan then scored an unbeaten 62 off 48 balls as the defending champions chased down the target with six wickets and 11 deliveries to spare.

During a post-match discussion on Star Sports, Pathan was asked about his thoughts on Sai Sudharsan's knock, to which he responded:

"He became a good player in the TNPL as well. His salary in the TNPL is more than the IPL. It is extremely enjoyable to see the experience he has gained in the last one year and someone's loss is someone else's gain."

The former Indian all-rounder added that Sudharsan being a southpaw will be an added advantage for the Gujarat Titans, explaining:

"If it is a loss for an international player because of him not being there, this young player has grabbed that chance with both hands. He is a left-handed batter, so the better he performs, he will come in very handy to maintain a left-right batting combination on pitches that help the bowlers while batting at No. 3."

Sai Sudharsan was not part of the Gujarat Titans' initial playing XI for their first game against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). However, he was drafted in as the 'Impact Player' after Kane Williamson suffered a horrific injury and went on to score a crucial 22 while batting at No. 3.

David Miller replaced Williamson as the overseas batter in the Titans' playing XI against DC. However, Sudharsan was also included in the initial XI at the expense of Vijay Shankar, with the latter only coming in as the 'Impact Player'.

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"I always tell youngsters not to complain but to find opportunities" - Yusuf Pathan praises Sai Sudharsan

Sai Sudharsan struck four fours and two sixes during his innings. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Yusuf Pathan was further asked how youngsters like Sai Sudharsan get the confidence to play such knocks, to which he replied:

"I always tell youngsters not to complain but to find opportunities. Sudharsan did not have an opportunity at the start, it was not certain whether he would play in the XI or not, whether he would play at No. 3 or not, but he found his opportunity."

The spin-bowling all-rounder concluded by saying that the youngster will be a treat to watch if he builds on the confidence he gained from his first two outings, elaborating:

"He backed himself and showed the self-confidence. The way he built his innings in the first match and this match as well, it feels great when a youngster plays such a knock and comes not out after winning a match. So it will be enjoyable to watch him if he carries forward the confidence he gained from the first match and here."

Sudharsan strung together a 53-run second-wicket partnership with Shubman Gill to lay the platform for GT's chase in their first game against CSK. He stitched together half-century partnerships with Vijay Shankar and David Miller in Tuesday's game to ensure that his team got across the line.