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India's top-order batter Sai Sudharsan was effusive about head coach Gautam Gambhir for unconditionally backing him during his challenging beginning to his Test journey.
In his debut Test series in England, Sudharsan mustered up 140 runs at 23.33 and was dismissed on seven in the first innings of the home Test against the West Indies in Ahmedabad earlier this month. As India headed to the national capital for the second Test, Sudharsan felt under pressure untill a conversation with Gambhir put him at ease. "The support has been impeccable. After the first game in Ahmedabad, we were practising at the Feroz Shah Kotla nets. As always, I was the last to come out of the nets," Sudharsan said in Bengaluru, where he will be India A's vice-captain in the first unofficial Test against South Africa A, which begins on Thursday, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo. "GG [Gambhir] sir called me and said, 'You are not getting desperate. You are one of the best players in the country. So do not think about any of the other things. Don't think that you have to score runs in this game, or what will happen if you don't.' He told me, 'You will play.' The way he said that gave me so much confidence and freedom," he continued. "I was trying to be more free and not think about external factors or the magnitude of things. But when you hear it from the head coach himself, the perspective and environment change drastically. That helped me express myself better as well. Even in that game [2nd Test], I wasn't in a mindset just to get runs, I was in a mindset to fight and win for the team, to dominate for the team," he added. The 24-year-old found his purple patch on Delhi's benign surface, notching scores of 87 and 39 during India's commanding 7-wicket win and 2-0 series triumph. Even though his composed performances have brought confidence, Sudharsan is looking to avoid putting himself under pressure to live up to the reputations of past number three batters, including Rahul Dravid, Cheteshwar Pujara, and others. "I take it game by game, inning by inning, look at the situation, and react as best as I can. Playing for India, there's so much competition. So many great cricketers who have done well, are doing well, and will continue to do well. I'm not looking at a spot to cement or thinking about securing a place. I'm playing for a reason, and that is to win games and fight for my team. That's my mindset when I walk in," Sudharsan said. "When I think about sealing a spot or playing for safety, I tend to go defensive and play for myself, which I definitely don't want to do. I look at it from a different perspective - to win one session at a time and make a difference there. Runs will be a byproduct of that process," Sudharsan added. While Sudharsan isn't under pressure to measure up to the number three role, he acknowledged that playing in that position brings a set of challenges. During his time with Tamil Nadu, Sudharsan has primarily featured as an opener, but doesn't feel there isn't a difference in the two spots. "It's a great responsibility, and I'm grateful for the opportunity. No. 3 is also like an opening spot. There's not a big difference, to be honest. But playing for India, wherever we get an opportunity, we have to be on point, not just fill a place but be really ready for whichever spot we play," he said. "We have great examples. Like KL [Rahul] bhai, who has played in almost all positions and is so versatile. We can learn from him. We have to be ready for all those challenges. I wouldn't say I prefer one or the other. I've played quite a lot at No. 3, even in the IPL, and when I was younger in the Under-14s and Under-16s also I've batted at No. 3. So I enjoy both. It's not a big difference," Sudharan concluded. (ANI)
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