'He used pace well': Ex-Indian spinner praises Sai Sudharsan despite loss to RR
Ravichandran Ashwin praised Sai Sudharsan's mature 73 against Rajasthan Royals, highlighting his game understanding and ability to handle pressure in Shubman Gill's absence. Ashwin believes the opening partnership of Gill and Sudharsan will be crucial for Gujarat Titans' future success. Rajasthan Royals secured a narrow victory, defending 210 thanks to crucial death bowling from Jofra Archer and Tushar Deshpande.
Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin lauded Sai Sudharsan for his impressive knock for Gujarat Titans, highlighting the youngster’s clarity and understanding of his game despite the team’s narrow loss to Rajasthan Royals. Sudharsan played a fluent innings of 73 off 44 balls in the absence of regular skipper Shubman Gill, but Gujarat Titans fell short in a high-scoring contest at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Saturday. Ashwin praised Sudharsan’s approach, noting how he adapted to the responsibility.
"Sai Sudharsan knew that Shubman wasn't playing today, so he had to do the heavy lifting himself. The way he started showed that he understands his strengths. He used pace well, guiding the ball towards third man, and then played some good cover drives on the front foot.
He took on Jadeja immediately after he came into the attack, made use of the pace, and followed it up with a slog sweep," Ashwin said on JioStar. Gill missed the GT's game against RR owing to a muscle spasm, and Rashid Khan led the side in his absence. Ashiwn feels that when Gill returns, his opening combination with Sudharsan will be the key for GT to move forward.
"These are the strong areas for Sudharsan, which he relies on, and he got the results. He needs to play like this, carry the innings, but at a good tempo. And for the Gujarat Titans, missing Shubman Gill was a big setback.