Indian red-ball captain Shubman Gill has backed his Gujarat Titans teammate Sai Sudarshan despite the young left-hander’s early struggles in his Test career. Gill has emphasized his abilities and reaffirmed his belief in the young player.
Ever since Shubman Gill took over as the captain of the Indian team, he has found that all his batsmen are scoring runs and dominating the longest format with their great form. However, the Indian team has failed to find a batsman to replace the legacy of former Indian legend Virat Kohli.
While Karun Nair has also been tried several times in England, Sai Sudarshan has been his most suitable choice for the role. However, he is still struggling to find consistency in the format. After playing the first 3 matches of his career on English soil, he could score only one half-century and now when he played his first match on Indian soil, he missed out on runs.
“I don’t think he is going through a bad phase,” said Shubman Gill on his Titans teammate’s flop show for India.
Indian captain Shubman Gill has thrown his weight behind young batsman Sai Sudarshan. Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Gill had urged patience and perspective in the case of his Gujarat Titans opening partner Sudarshan.
Gill’s message ahead of the second Test starting tomorrow at the Arun Jaitley Stadium was one of calm and conviction.
Gill said, “I don’t think he is going through a bad phase. In the first match (Ahmedabad Test), he got a chance to play only one innings. In the Oval Test, he played an important inning of 40 runs on a wicket where the ball was swinging. In the previous match, he had scored a half-century in Manchester. Not everyone can score runs in every match. You have to give more chances to the young players because they are still focusing on their game.”
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The Indian captain reiterated his confidence in the youngster’s ability and described him as a long-term option for India’s No. 3 spot. So far, Sudarshan has scored 147 runs in seven innings, while the figures still do not reflect the promise of the management’s decision to stick with him.
However, after ignoring Karun Nair, it signals confidence in Sudarshan as a long-term investment at the top of the Indian batting order.
He said, “We believe you have to look at a player’s ability in its entirety and not assess them on the basis of just one, two, three or four games. Once someone is given six, seven or eight games, you can sit back and assess where they need to improve, whether that means playing more domestic cricket or playing India A matches. But as of now, we feel he is the right person for us, and someone who can be a great asset to India for a long time.” Can play at number 3.”
Sudarshan was seen working closely with captain Gill in the nets.
Sudarshan is known to have a close bond with Shubman Gill on the field as both of them open for Gujarat Titans in the IPL. He was selected for the Indian Test team after earning the Orange Cap in the last IPL season with 759 runs.
On October 9, a day before the second Test at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, Shubman Gill was found working closely with Sudarshan in the nets. His solid technique and flair have impressed, but his lack of big scores has led to comparisons with Karun Nair’s fortunes.
Gill has been seen giving batting advice and even practicing with him during throwdowns. It highlighted the chemistry between the two Indian players and also highlighted the confidence the captain has in the young cricketer.
Also read: Dhruv Jurel will replace Sai Sudarshan at number 3 in the Indian Test team, Ryan ten Doeschate hints
