Shifting formats in short time a challenge: Sai Sudharsan

NEW DELHI: Sai Sudharsan takes to IPL like a duck to water. From the time he made his debut for Gujarat Titans four seasons ago, the 24-year-old has emerged as one of the cornerstones of their batting.

He has been their top rungetter in the last two seasons and claimed the Orange Cap with most runs in the tournament last year. Into his fifth IPL season, the southpaw showed signs of continuing his merry run by hitting a fluent 44-ball 73 in Titans’ previous game against Rajasthan Royals, which they lost by six runs.

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However, he says that he doesn’t have any secret T20 formula. “I don’t look at it as a different tournament. Whatever matches I play, the preparation, the effort and hard work I put in is similar. I’m just grateful and lucky enough to execute it here,” said the cricketer from Tamil Nadu on the eve of the Titans’ game against Delhi Capitals here on Wednesday.

“IPL is one of the biggest platforms anybody can get. I think the mindset should be to do our best, be as versatile as possible and equip yourself for any situation. Greater things will happen on their own,” he added.

A batsman with sound technique, Sudharsan’s success in IPL last season earned him a call-up to the Test squad for India’s tour of England. But he couldn’t replicate that success in the longest version of the game, returning with returns in the format with 302 runs from six matches at an average of 27.

He admits shifting formats can be demanding for a modern-day cricketer. “Shifting formats is the biggest challenge we face. Sometimes we get just two or three days and we are expected to deliver in each format. Apart from that, mentally, there is always the decision-making aspect that a player has to make during play. That is another big challenge,” he said.

Sudharsan reckons with the nature of the T20 game changing rapidly, the mental aspect of the game is as important as the skill level and technical aspect. “I think it’s about fine-tuning and having a clear thought process and getting your mind sorted. I put in a lot of effort towards that during the off-season. I do yoga, a lot of meditation and visualisation to keep myself mentally fit,” Sudharsan said.