Sai Sudharsan, bought by Gujarat Titans for ₹20 lakh, shines in his ODI debut

livemint.com:

Sai Sudharsan burst onto the scene in the local domestic T20 league in Chennai with his nonchalant batting amassing 358 runs in eight matches at a healthy strike-rate of 143.8. A member of the Tamil Nadu senior squad across formats now, Sai Sudharsan has been truly impressive so much so that he was invited for selection by as many as six IPL franchises. B Sai Sudharshan (55 not out off 43 balls) showed during his stay at the wicket why he is rated so highly.

He made the chase look like a cakewalk. Sai reached his maiden ODI fifty in 41 balls, with eight fours. The sinewy southpaw looked elegant and upright while driving on the up and looked strong off the back-foot, while pulling the short ball.

Against spinners, he put a big stride forward, which is hallmark of a good player. The on-drive off Tabraiz Shamsi was a treat for the eyes. One of the most exciting prospects in Indian cricket, Sudharsan received his maiden India cap from stand-in skipper KL Rahul before the traditional toss for the first ODI between India and South Africa at New Wanderers Stadium.

“Looking forward to a cracker of a game. There was a of spin and it was try, we'll try to put pressure on them. Sai Sudharsan is on debut today.

There are a few names that have played a lot of IPL cricket. Ruturaj did well, Tilak seems exciting, Sanju is always exciting," Rahul said after South Africa won the toss and opted to bat in the ODI series opener. Sai had seasoned Shreyas Iyer (52 off 45 balls) for company, who looked in fine touch, something that augurs well for India, ahead of the upcoming Test series.