“In 2 years, he'll do something great for franchise cricket” - Hardik Pandya makes a big prediction on Sai Sudharsan

Gujarat Titans (GT) captain Hardik Pandya reckons that Sai Sudharsan will do something great in franchise cricket in two years’ time, adding that the youngster will eventually do well for India as well.

Sudharsan was the Player of the Match as Gujarat beat Delhi Capitals (DC) by six wickets in Tuesday’s (April 4) Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. GT were to chase 163 for victory and the 21-year-old left-hander top-scored for his side with 62* off 48 balls, hitting four fours and two sixes.

Gujarat win’s on Tuesday was their second in as many matches in IPL 2023. Reflecting on the triumph at the post-match presentation, Hardik reserved special praise for Sudharsan. He commented:

“He is been batting terrifically. Credit to the support staff and to him as well. The amount of batting he's done in the last 15 days, all the result you see is all his hard work. Going forward, if I'm not wrong, in two years, he'll do something great for franchise cricket and eventually for India cricket as well.”

Looking back at the game, the GT skipper described the start as a funny one but credited the bowlers for pulling things back after a few erratic overs in the powerplay. He said:

“It was funny at the start, we didn't know exactly what was happening but something was happening. We gave 15-20 runs extra in the powerplay. The way the bowlers pulled back was amazing.”

Asked about his captaincy style, Hardik said that he prefers to go with his instincts. The 29-year-old explained:

“It’s my instinct. I like to back myself. I rather back my own decision and fall down rather than thinking something else. Most often, I rather punch first rather than take the punch. We tell the boys to enjoy there. It helps you take the right decisions. Someone's putting their hand up. We have spoken about this.”

Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan claimed three wickets each for GT, while Alzarri Joseph picked up two.

---

“My plan was to take the game deep” - Sai Sudharsan

Sharing his thoughts on his match-winning innings, Sudharsan said that he wanted to take the game deep and eventually guide the team through to victory. Reflecting on his performance, he said:

“I was thinking about what has to be done right. I wasn't under pressure. I was just calculating the right things. It was a bit low and skidding through, I was thinking to take the right options. My plan was to take the game deep and taking it through.

“Weathering the storm early on (was satisfying). It was quite difficult, it was seaming initially that was the highlight for me.”

Chasing 163, Gujarat were 54/3 at the end of the powerplay. However, Sudharsan lifted GT with help from Vijay Shankar (29 off 23) and David Miller (31* off 16).