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When Sai Sudharsan Reached Out To Maxwell, Babar Azam's Mentor To Refine Technique

Akshita Patel

Sai Sudharsan worked overseas to refine hitting skills [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/X.com]Sai Sudharsan worked overseas to refine hitting skills [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/X.com]

Sai Sudharsan's remarkable IPL 2025 season is not a fluke, it’s the result of a deeply scientific, data-driven approach to refining his T20 game without compromising his natural elegance. Last year, he apparently went to Shanon Young to improve his technical arsenal in the T20 format.

With 617 runs at a strike rate of 156.99, including the most boundaries (68) and sixes (20) in IPL 2025, Sudharsan is currently leading the run charts and redefining what a “traditional-yet-modern” T20 batter looks like.

But to achieve this, he worked behind the scenes with a special mentor during India A’s tour to Australia in 2024.

Shanon Young Helped Sai Sudharsan Transform Into A T20 Beast

While on an India A tour of Australia in 2024, Sai Sudharsan reached out to Shanon Young, a power-hitting specialist who has worked with stars like Glenn Maxwell, Babar Azam, and Marnus Labuschagne. 

The sessions took place at Young’s Cricket Performance Lab in Melbourne and focused not on altering Sudharsan’s technique radically but on enhancing his power while preserving classical shot-making. 

In an interview with TOI, Young revealed that Sudharsan relies on his backswing and strong base, which allows him to hit classical shots and score rapidly without high-risk strokes.

"His bat starts on the ground and his hands are quite low. He generates a lot of power from his backlift. His backlift goes past his shoulders, similar to Brian Lara. So, in the backswing, he generates a lot of momentum, which when he actually brings that through the downswing, he's generating force on the ball that gives him more power just because of those mechanics," Young said.

Not only that, standing at over 6 feet 2 inches, Sai uses a tall, balanced stance that keeps him stable while generating power. 

"He has a really stable base, and I was surprised when he came in; he's quite tall. I don't know his actual height, maybe six feet two inches [just over six feet]. The interesting thing with that is he bats tall. When he generates power through his hands via the backlift, his base is stable, and he doesn't have to do anything else to generate that power. So he can do it through a really stable base, and then he uses the ground really well, resulting in a really fluent bat swing," Young further said.

Shane Young also taught risk management to Sai Sudharsan. He urged him to play traditional shots with enough power to clear boundaries. 

"Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Fraser-McGurk — they're playing high-risk cricket. The returns are high, but the risk is also high. Now, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan at GT are minimising the risk by playing traditional cricket shots but with high impact," he added.

Recently, Sudharsan hit a ton against DC as he and Shubman Gill led GT to a 10-wicket victory with a 205-run opening partnership. With Sai’s form, the Titans have established themselves as top title-winning contenders.