• Home
  • Writers Opinion
  • Sudharsans Test Selection Goes Beyond Numbers And Gts Very Very Special Star Proves It

Sudharsan's Test Selection Goes Beyond Numbers And GT's Very, Very Special Star Proves It

Anurag Dasgupta

Why Sudharsan was selected [Source: @SriniMaama16/x.com] Why Sudharsan was selected [Source: @SriniMaama16/x.com]

India's Test side for the England tour was announced on Saturday with quite a few new faces in the Test setup. One of them was the Gujarat Titans and Tamil Nadu star, Sai Sudharsan. The opening batter has been in prolific form this Indian Premier League (IPL) season and was drafted in the Test team immediately.

A lot of people have criticised this season since the batter only averages 39.93 in first-class cricket, however, there was one particular knock in the last domestic season which propelled the selectors to go after the batter.

The knock which led to Sudharsan's selection

Delhi played against Tamil Nadu at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, and his team were put into bat on a slightly trickier surface. The left-handed batter was at his imperial best against a quality Delhi bowling lineup as he hammered a double century at a strike rate of nearly 78. He shared an opening stand of 168 against Narayan Jagadeesan, and it was followed by an unbroken stand of 211 against Washington Sundar, who was promoted in the batting order.

This was the knock which defined Sudharsan's career. Selectors saw the potential and his maiden double ton in the Ranji Trophy was one of the main reason for his selection.

What makes Sai Sudharsan different from other batters?

Stats experts will say that a Test player should have an average over 45 and should have centuries in double digits to be included in the Test side.

However, Sudharsan doesn't have those stats, but he has the guts and technique to survive in English conditions. What is the one ingredient which is required to be a quality Test batter? The answer is patience and Sudharsan has that in his arsenal. He doesn't go for fancy shots, has bat-pad close to each other, something which is taught in every Cricket manual. If one watches him bat in IPL, they would realise that he doesn't play any fancy shots and plays with bowlers' minds, a trait which is required to succeed in Test cricket.

Selectors are looking beyond numbers

The prodigy also scored a terrific hundred against Australia A and that too, Down Under. The likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad (41.77 average), and Abhimanyu Easwaran (48) have higher first-class average as compared to Sudharsan, but the selectors are finally going beyond numbers since stats can be deceptive. If we go by numbers then even you and I can select India's Test team, but things go beyond stats and hence, Sudharsan has a place in the Test side.