Sachin content to let his bat do the talking

There is nothing more frustrating for a young cricketer than missing a whole season just when things are starting to align. Tamil Nadu’s B. Sachin has had to undergo one such trying phase. The 21-year-old made his Ranji Trophy debut in the 2023-24 season, but an ACL knee injury during a TNPL match last year meant he had to undergo surgery, which sidelined him for seven months.

Now the left-hander is back doing what he does best and letting his bat do the talking. Sachin’s sensational century helped TNCA XI stun Mumbai by two wickets in the first round of the Buchi Babu tournament, chasing 266 in 45 overs.

“During the first two months, I felt down and out. I could not even sleep properly. But I realised later that I should be grateful for that period. Without it, I would not have understood the importance of mental strength,” said Sachin about the challenges of recovering from surgery. “I just tried to give my 100 per cent during rehab. I just kept counting every day. I started by facing underarm deliveries, but I didn’t get into rhythm immediately, and it took me a month. I struggled a lot during that period and thought a lot about my batting.”

Though he failed to shine in his four outings for TN in the premier domestic tournament, he is widely considered one of the promising batters in the state and the knock on Wednesday only reinforced his reputation. He scored a double-hundred in his comeback game in the TNCA first division in March and then scored a century in the TNPL, showing his ability to adapt to different formats.

With B. Sai Sudharsan expected to be on national duty, Sachin is making the right noises to get back into the TN set-up. The youngster, though, is not thinking too far ahead. “I am not thinking much about (comeback) and just focused on looking at the ball and hitting it,” he said.