Impeccable Guidance: Sudharsan Thanks Gautam Gambhir for Boosting His Confidence

The rising Indian star, B Sai Sudharsan, has credited Gautam Gambhir for backing him unconditionally. He acknowledged the support Gambhir has given him since his debut on the England tour. It should be noted that the young Indian batter didn’t have a great England tour, as he scored just 140 runs at an average of 23.33 in his debut international test series.

Despite getting out on low scores during the England tour, Sai Sudharsan again got the chance in the recently concluded West Indies test series. He was under a bit of pressure while going into the Delhi test. However, a conversation with Gautam Gambhir eased all his concerns.

"The support has been impeccable. After the first game in Ahmedabad, we were practicing at the Feroz Shah Kotla nets. As always, I was the last to come out of the nets. 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,” said Sai Sudharsan.

The batter then described the encouraging words he received from the head coach. It was basically a firm backing from Gambhir that allowed Sudharsan to focus more on his batting, rather than thinking about the future.

"He told me, 'You will play.' The way he said that gave me so much confidence and freedom. 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,” said Sai Sudharsan.

These words helped Sudharsan to come out of a phase of self-doubt. He played a composed knock of 87 in the 2nd test against the West Indies that allowed India to score a big total of 518 in the first innings.

"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," said Sai Sudharsan.

When asked about the competition in the Indian team, Sudharsan said that making a place in the national side is not easy. He praised all the players who are performing well currently, and added that his mindset is always focused on fighting for the team rather than just securing a spot in the Playing XI.

"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,” said Sai Sudharsan.

The batter further explained that he scores runs primarily for the team, not to secure his place in the side. This thought process helps him to avoid playing defensive cricket, which is certainly not required at the international level.  

Speaking about his test batting strategy, Sudharsan explained that he likes to approach the game session by session. This method allows him to focus on winning each session, with runs coming as a byproduct of the process.

"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," said Sai Sudharsan.

India will now play the next test series against South Africa in November. Sai Sudharsan is confident to perform better in that series, as he is currently brimming with confidence after getting strong support from the Indian head coach.