Sai Sudharsan says injury layoff was a learning curve ahead of red-ball challenges

India batter Sai Sudharsan said his recent injury layoff was a valuable learning experience rather than a frustrating period. He returned to competitive cricket with scores of 57 and 39 for India A in their win over Australia A.

Puducherry: Known for his obsessive work ethic and unyielding love for spending long hours in the batting nets, India top-order batter B Sai Sudharsan has said his recent injury-enforced spell on the sidelines served as a valuable learning curve rather than a source of frustration.

Sudharsan was forced to miss significant red-ball cricket this year due to rib and toe injuries, including missing the tour of Sri Lanka in August. He made a successful return to competitive action with scores of 57 and 39 for India ‘A’ beating Australia ‘A’ by 162 runs in the first four-day game at the CAP Siechem Ground.

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“First of all, it (rehab) is not frustrating at all. It’s just the journey we are going through. And our body also responds to certain things. It’s about that. We are also refining our habits every day. So, it’s a good thing.

“It’s a great opportunity to come back and play. When I played on the first day, that’s when I felt how badly I missed that feeling of playing inside. So, it was a great opportunity and a good outing as well,” Sudharsan was quoted as saying by Cricinfo on Monday.

Detailing his tactical approach on a pitch that offered assistance to spinners and seamers, Sudharsan said early length identification and active footwork helped him ace the challenge. “It’s more of learning how to score runs. The ground does not have a flying outfield. So you got to run a lot.

“From my mindset, the boundaries were always the other side of the ground. So you had to plan a certain way to score a lot of boundaries this side. And not force so much because that side is anyway very slow. On wickets like these, it’s important to put the bowlers on the back foot and keep pressing them. So the options were clear.

“Maybe the execution could have been better from my side. Both the offspinners bowled very well. The wicket assisted quite a lot. It was about how we use our feet and how we read the length as early as possible and choose the right options,” he explained.

With another four-day match against Australia ‘A’ coming up from Tuesday, followed by a potential trip to New Zealand for another ‘A’ series, Sudharsan believes his overseas experience of playing County cricket for Surrey and past overseas ‘A’ tours will help him prepare thoroughly for upcoming red-ball challenges, including the marquee Border-Gavaskar Trophy happening in India next year.

“I feel as professionals, or even with a little bit of experience of what we have played in England or in Australia, it helps us to simulate a certain way and understand what is important, what we have to work on, or what we have to touch base before getting into New Zealand. And after that series, there is definitely a good amount of time to prepare for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy,” he concluded.