3 ways Surrey County stint will help B Sai Sudharsan
Tamil Nadu star batter Sai Sudharsan will play for Surrey in their final three games of the 2023 County Championship Division One. They are currently on top of the points table as they look to defend their title.
Sudharsan, 21, has been in incredible form over the past year across formats, particularly in white-ball cricket. The left-handed batter experienced a tremendous IPL season with the Gujarat Titans (GT), scoring 362 runs in eight games at an average of 51.71, including a magical 96 in the summit clash against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
He continued his white-ball form to the ACC Mens Emerging Teams Asia Cup, scoring 220 runs in five games at an average of 73.33 at a strike rate of almost 100. This included a brilliant unbeaten 104* off 110 balls for India A against Pakistan A in the group stage fixture.
Sudharsan's incredible form helped him earn selection among the standby players to the second-string Indian team for the upcoming Asian Games in China.
Considering all the above, let us look at three ways the County stint with Surrey could help the talented Sai Sudharsan.
#1 Gain invaluable experience against the moving ball and English conditions
English pitches and the Duke's ball pose arguably the most formidable challenge for top-order batters. Add to that the varying overhead conditions, aiding the ball to swing and seam prodigiously, and batting in England becomes a nightmare to survive, let alone score for even the best of batters.
However, the flip side to that is when a batter scores big runs in England, he is often immediately recognized to be Test match caliber.
To his credit, Sai Sudharsan has displayed solid technique and temperament in every way possible, but they have all come in considerably easier batting conditions at home. Hence, scoring runs in England will go a long way in helping improve his defensive technique against swing and seam bowling.
Some of India's legendary batters like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Virat Kohli came away with more solid techniques after County stints in England. Kohli played for Surrey before the 2018 England tour, resulting in a dramatic turnaround in his fortunes from his horrendous 2014 series.
Likewise, Tendulkar scored plenty of runs for Yorkshire in the 1992 season, and Dravid much the same for Kent in 2002, resulting in the pair enjoying tremendous success against the moving ball throughout their illustrious career.
#2 Sai Sudharsan will look to better his first-class experience and numbers
Although Sai Sudharsan has shown impeccable form through 2023, it has been predominantly in white-ball cricket. For someone who is already such a household name, the 21-year-old has played only eight first-class games.
He scored 572 runs for Tamil Nadu at an average of 47.66 in seven games but failed in both innings of the Duleep Trophy semi-final against North Zone. While his overall average of 42.71 in eight games isn't sub-par, it is not eye-popping from an experience or statistics point of view.
However, an outstanding three games for Surrey could bolster his first-class numbers to make him a sensational all-format cricketer. It could also be the ideal stepping stone for a breakthrough second season in the Ranji Trophy.
#3 Stake his claim for selection to the Indian Test side and possibly the Asian games
Team India are heading into the next phase in Test cricket, leading to the side dropping veteran batter Cheteshwar Pujara and selecting Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad in the squad that recently beat the West Indies.
However, in a bid to have Jaiswal play at his customary opening position, Shubman Gill moved to No.3 and failed to impress in the two Tests. With a poor overall Test average of 32.20 in 33 games, Gill's place in the team could be under scrutiny, especially with a challenging tour to South Africa as India's next Test assignment.
Despite Sai Sudharsan not being in the upper echelon of the pecking order in Tests at the moment, he could come into the reckoning should he put up outlandish numbers in the three matches for Surrey in English conditions.
Further, being a left-hander only adds to his claim for selection to the Indian Test squad, if not for the South African tour, at least shortly after.
Apart from Test selection, Sudharsan can also ensure he is first in line to replace a batter who may be injured during the Asian Games with a strong outing for Surrey.