Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to Sai Sudharsan's stellar 108* in DC vs GT IPL 2025 match ft. Sanjay Manjrekar
Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill strung together a scintillating partnership to help Gujarat Titans (GT) chase down a target of 200 inside 19 overs against Delhi Capitals (DC) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) on Sunday, May 18.
Played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, the hosts put up a decent total of 199-3 on the board after batting first. Opener KL Rahul starred for them with a 65-ball 112, which included 14 fours and four sixes.
In response, the GT openers wound the DC bowlers down, with Sudharsan, in particular, showing why he was so highly rated. He played strokes across the ground and remained unbeaten on 108 off 61 balls (12 boundaries and four sixes).
Sudharsan was greatly helped by his partner Shubman Gill, who played second fiddle in this partnership and remained not out on 93.
In this piece, we take a look at what experts had to say about Sudharsan's exuberant knock:
#5 Ajay Jadeja
Former India batter Ajay Jadeja lauded Sudharsan for his match-winning effort. Speaking on Star Sports, Jadeja mentioned that Sudharsan's batting was pleasing to the eye.
The former India cricketer also made the big claim that Sudharsan had outshone the 'future India captain', referring to the latter's opening partner, Shubman Gill. The pundit seemed happy that the Tamil Nadu opener batted without any risks.
“Sai Sudharsan has outshone the future India captain. His batting is pleasing to the eye. It is not like he was only ahead of Shubman in the match against Delhi Capitals. He has looked a better batter than Gill in the previous matches as well. His batting is risk-free as compared to Shubman’s,” Jadeja said on Star Sports.
"Sai is playing with a more accomplished cricketer, who plays regularly for the Indian cricket team. Gill was not able to time the ball against Delhi and needed powerful hits to get going, but it was not the case with Sai, who looked at ease,” added Jadeja.
#4 Aakash Chopra
Former India opener Aakash Chopra appreciated the value that Sudharsan brought to this match. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra referred to the fact that Sudharsan has earned the orange cap purely based on his consistency.
The cricket pundit also mentioned that one cannot associate the word 'ugly' with Sudharsan's batting.
"Sai Sudharsan has become the second name of consistency. How can a player play so clean like pure desi ghee in T20s? He played properly all around the ground. He doesn't play even one bad shot. You cannot associate ugly with his game, but he scores his runs at a strike rate of 170," said Chopra.
"No one has scored 1000 runs faster than him, and the Orange Cap is with him currently. He has come with so much hunger. He is saying that he is here to stay. A 200-run total has been chased for the first time without losing a single wicket. The two kids have together created history," he observed.
#3 Sanjay Manjrekar
Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar, who plies his trade as a commentator and pundit these days, took to microblogging site X to lavish praise on Sudharsan. The ex-Mumbai captain was pleased by how Sudharsan usually played with a straight bat.
"Sai Sudarshan’s [sic] T20 game is unique. No one quite like him actually. All those runs & high SRs have been achieved with a straight bat coming down to hit the ball. Do watch next time," wrote Manjrekar.
You can see the tweet here:
#2 Tom Moody
Former Australia all-rounder Tom Moody, speaking on ESPN Cricinfo, praised both Sudharsan and his opening partner Shubman Gill for how they marshalled the chase and virtually blew their opponents away.
Moody, who won the IPL 2016 title with Sunrisers Hyderabad as their head coach, felt that both Sudharsan and Gill know each other inside out and seemed to complement the small errors made by the other.
"I think the way Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill dovetail together as an opening pair, they seem to really understand each other's game. One seems to fall in behind the other if one's really got off to a flier. So they cover each other and there seems to be a pattern in that throughout the season. And just their traditional strokeplay," said Moody.
"What it shows you is the class of that batting pair. They are proper batters that have the technique that can weather any storm, but also, they have both developed this over time, they have learnt how to move through the gears. They may have only had three gears in previous years, but both of them have five gears they can shift to [now]," he added.
#1 Sanjay Bangar
Former India all-rounder Sanjay Bangar, who works as a cricket commentator and expert now, spoke highly on JioHotstar about the control and restraint shown by Sudharsan while batting in the powerplay against DC on Sunday.
Bangar, who was also India's batting coach not too long ago, observed that Sudharsan, unlike other batters in T20 cricket, tries to hit the ball using his top hand. The ex-Railways man also pointed out that Sudharsan scored his runs all across the ground.
"What I really like about Sai Sudharsan's batting - even in this format - is the control he shows. When he looks to hit, the top hand does a lot of the work, and the ball often bounces close to him, whether he's playing in front or square of the wicket," Bangar said on JioHotstar.
"It's tough to show that kind of restraint in the first six overs, but once he gets through them, he opens up and plays lofted shots with equal assurance. His wagon wheel showed runs across all regions - he doesn't rely on just one scoring area. That's been a hallmark of his batting, and he's delivering these performances consistently now," he noted.