Since the start of the IPL, runs have been flowing from B. Sai Sudharsan’s bat. The Gujarat Titans opener had a great season, finishing as the third-highest run-getter (722 runs). He then seamlessly switched into the longer format, scoring 81 in the Test against Afghanistan before following it up with twin centuries for India-A in the two four-day games in Sri Lanka.

In this chat with The Hindu, the 24-year-old Tamil Nadu batter opens up about his “best IPL season” as well as his experience playing Test cricket over the last year. Excerpts:

How do you see this purple patch?

I am feeling really grateful for whatever I have done in the IPL. The way it started, the way it unfolded, the way it ended — it was very interesting.

I have always had good starts in every IPL. So this one was even more interesting because I didn’t score much in the first four to five games. Mentally, I won’t say it was challenging but more interesting, as belief, trust, and everything increased day by day rather than becoming doubtful. It was a very good IPL, and it was my best year.

Does it make it more special that you recovered from a tough start?

Yes, for sure, because when you are scoring, it is easy. When you keep playing, it is easier to believe and to be in a confident frame of mind. But when you don’t score, it’s even more important to feel the same way.

So, in that way, it was very interesting, and I learnt a lot in this IPL. When it is not converted into evidence, are you still trusting the process and your abilities? Mentally, when you enter the game, are you still thinking about not scoring in the previous match, or are you entering in an expressive frame of mind to make an impact for the team? So I think, in those ways, I learnt a lot — to not take the past into the game.

Was there a specific game that unlocked something for you?

Yes. I got a hundred against RCB. That was the game which actually changed quite a lot of things. We lost that match, yes, but that game gave us momentum. From there, the team also did well. The team faced a challenge: we were still doing well, but something was not going right. Then we won in Chennai, and from there, everybody’s game started going the way we wanted.

You came into the IPL after an injury lay-off due to a rib fracture. How difficult was the recovery?

Definitely, it was not easy because breathing was difficult. But sometimes, when you get a break, you have time to think about the game. You have time to really introspect about what you want to do. So I saw it as a blessing in disguise. At that time, I wanted to use it wisely and productively, so that I would still bat a lot mentally. I couldn’t do it physically, of course, but mentally I batted a lot and didn’t feel that I was away from the sport.

What did you specifically work on during those three to four months?

It’s more about the feel. The feeling of batting. All the small things I wanted to improve, all the small additions I wanted to make — I just did them in my head. I tried to visualise it more and sustain that feeling.

There’s a lot of talk around strike-rates. However, you and your opening partner, Shubman Gill, took a different approach, trying to bat long. How do you see it in the bigger picture when the demands of T20 cricket keep changing? Do you feel tempted to play at a higher tempo?

We’re not looking at it as ‘We have to play at this strike-rate to win’. We’re looking at it from a broader perspective — what is required for the game, rather than individual statistical points. We’re not looking at it as a stats-oriented approach. Yes, stats are very important for improving and getting better. But we’re not looking to predetermine how we’ll play. If we’re chasing 240, we have to play at a 200 strike-rate anyway. It’s situational, rather than saying we can only do well if we play at a particular strike-rate. As a team, as you rightly said, we’re trying to give ourselves the best chance of winning.

At the same time, don’t you feel it could affect your personal career?

It’s actually a great question because it’s actually a challenge as well. But I feel winning is the ultimate recipe, or the ultimate key, to whatever you want to do. You don’t have to think personally. For a team, winning is the ultimate recipe. If you make your team win, you will eventually get the call-up and recognition. Everything else is secondary. It is a by-product. The ultimate goal is to have the team’s intent to win. The way I’m looking at it is: Am I giving myself the best possible chance to contribute? I feel that if we put a constraint like that in place, we are holding ourselves back.

You have now scored more than 700 runs for the second consecutive season. How do you ensure you keep improving to stay ahead in a format that keeps changing?

Even during the tournament, the game is evolving. This year, there were two spectrums of games. Either they were very low-scoring or very high-scoring. At the start of the tournament, there were three or four situations in which it was still possible to hit the ball correctly. I learnt certain things from that. I got out to balls that weren’t really wicket-taking deliveries. They were short, into the body, down the side of the leg. So I felt there was still space for the right movements to happen, and then you score runs. I worked more on that. Similarly, there were many examples from last year and this year. At certain times, I wasn’t finishing games, so I wanted to finish games. I feel I’m aware of those things. I keep building on them so the batting works automatically.

How do you handle not being in India’s T20 plans despite two very good IPL seasons?

There is nothing to handle. No disappointment, no expectation. We have a job in our hands. As simple as that. I know it may sound contradictory to many people. Yes, everybody wants to play for the country, and I want it even more. But what’s important is understanding what is within our control and what we should be hungry for. In the IPL, the important job is to put the team where we want it to be and win the tournament.

That’s the biggest priority. Selection comes as a by-product. There are still many things I can improve. I can work on those, come back to the IPL, and make an even bigger impact. Those are the things I have in my control, and I will back myself to do that every year.

Your assessment of your first year as a Test cricketer?

It is interesting. Even a small weakness or flaw will be challenged. As a batter, you have to keep improving and evolving from all those small things. It changes every single day and every single session. To be versatile enough to understand that and be smart is very important. But the satisfaction you get from scoring runs in Tests is unparalleled. You toil for five days. The hard work on the fourth or fifth day, when you get those runs or that win, is just very satisfying.

What have been the biggest learnings from the first year?

We have to keep evolving as batters, and there isn’t much time to do so. You have to be smart enough to pick things up and evolve. I feel it is all about owning that place. I could have owned it a bit more. I could have been a bit freer. The more ownership I take, and the more courage I have to go out there and express myself, the more I feel I’ll be able to bring out the best version of myself. That’s probably the biggest learning for me.

A little bit of that happened during the Afghanistan series. It helped me express myself more rather than trying to be right.

But hats off to my team: because of the support staff, the communication, and the way they supported and backed me — I was very happy with that.

Even in the Kolkata Test (vs. South Africa), which I didn’t play, I was very comfortable because the communication was very clear. We were looking at an extra spinner to give us the best chance. The communication was very clear, and as a player, you need that freedom.

During the West Indies series, GG (Gautam Gambhir) sir was very communicative. He backed me really well. In the Delhi Test (vs. West Indies), I was actually happy because I understood my batting better. I needed that clarity at that time, so it was very helpful to me.

I feel my batting has also become a little more fine-tuned. Decision-making, footwork, and movement in the crease—these experiences have helped me further fine-tune my game.

After the South Africa tour, I had quite a lot of time to prepare, understand those things and fine-tune them.

You have been dismissed twice in the 80s. Do you regret not converting those starts?

I’d agree that it was a little disappointing not to convert them. But at the same time, I was really happy with the level of control I had and the intensity of my play. The feeling while batting was really good, and the control was good. So I’m looking forward to building on that. The big score will come when it’s supposed to come.

There has been some criticism surrounding your First Class average. Are you aware of that, and how do you handle it?

Honestly, I’m not even aware of my own statistics. I don’t know how many matches I’ve played, how many hundreds I’ve scored or what my average is. Even in the IPL, I don’t know how many games I’ve played or how many runs I’ve scored. The reason is simple — I don’t want to judge myself based on statistics. I believe more in the experience than the numbers.

One game might be on a raging turner. Another game could be on a seaming wicket. Every match presents a different challenge. So it’s very difficult for me to look at my average and tell myself, ‘I’m batting well because my average is good’ or, ‘I’m batting badly because my average isn’t good enough’. For me, it’s about being fully present in that particular situation and doing the best I possibly can.

How was your experience of playing those two four-day games in Sri Lanka?

It was a really valuable experience and a great opportunity for us to understand the conditions. There was more breeze, a little more bounce and a little more turn than what we’re generally used to. Even the bowling culture there is different.

The bowlers are extremely consistent and disciplined rather than relying on something extraordinary. As a batter, getting more game time in Test cricket is always the best opportunity to learn.

Luckily, we played at Galle, so we got an opportunity to understand how the wickets behaved and how they generally prepared the surfaces. Overall, it was a really good experience and a great opportunity for us to understand the conditions.

Can you elaborate on the impact of the breeze?

The strong breeze changes everything. Because of the wind, the ball’s line changes quite a lot. Experiencing that was really valuable. It’s actually very similar to England. In England, the fast bowlers get late movement. Here, because of the breeze, the spinners get late drift. So you can’t commit too early, and you can’t judge the length too early. You have to keep judging the ball as late as possible because it keeps changing its line.

What’s the next month looking like for you?

The next month will be a proper off-season with some long practice sessions. Overall, it’s a great window to work hard and build towards the coming season. There are two main areas. The first is from a physical perspective. I want to become stronger, leaner, and fitter, especially in my movement and recovery, so that I can recover better and faster.

The second is my batting. I want to continue fine-tuning my game against spin. We have a series against Sri Lanka, where the conditions are quite similar, and then a couple of Tests in New Zealand, which will obviously present a different challenge. So my focus is on improving my batting against spin, better understanding my footwork, and continuing to develop my game.

India’s Washington Sundar plays a shot during the 1st ODI against England at Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Harry Brook in the Fourth T20 International between England and India at the Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol, Britain on July 9, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

India’s Ishan Kishan. File
| Photo Credit: AP

India’s Ishan Kishan. File
| Photo Credit: AP

With Vaibhav Sooryavanshi breathing down his neck, Sanju Samson will be under pressure to turn the frequent busts in his performance graph into consistent booms as India take on England in the second T20 International in Manchester on Saturday (July 4, 2026).

The first game was abandoned after India posted a healthy 189 for 7 at the Chester-Le-Street in Durham, riding on half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma and skipper Shreyas Iyer.

However, the focus of attention during the next few games would be Sanju Samson and whether he can weather the Sooryavanshi storm that is building up on the sidelines.

In an alternate universe, three back-to-back match-winning knocks in India’s T20 World Cup triumph would have given Kerala’s most ‘globally followed’ sporting icon a cushion for a year.

But with Indian cricket discovering the generational talent of Sooryavanshi, Samson’s margin for error has become minimal and the T20 World Cup halo alone can’t save him.

With Abhishek Sharma smashing his way to 49 and 59 in two of the last three games, the pressure is entirely on Samson to get some runs under his belt.

In the opening game that was washed out, Samson looked miserable scoring a single run off seven balls and not for once did it seem that he is trying to take the high-risk high-reward route.

The technical flaws in Samson’s game don’t inspire a lot of confidence when he plays on seaming tracks. Ireland’s unheralded Jai Moondra, who actually hails from Rajasthan’s Tonk, had exposed his frailties during successive games with deliveries that moved off the surface.

In case of Samson, the occasional high scores have always been flanked by a series of low returns on either side and that has been his biggest bane.

While the team management is firm on not pushing the 15-year-old Sooryavanshi but he possibly can’t be kept cooling his heels if this continues for another couple of games.

However, it is not just Samson who is struggling in this batting order.

The highly talented Tilak Varma’s held-back approach in the middle overs is also an issue.

Varma simply seems incapable of pushing the scoring rate once slow bowlers come into operation or seamers take pace off their deliveries.

In 12 T20I games in 2026, Varma has been able to hit only 12 sixes — which is one per game.

And that statistic is poor for anyone who is seen as a finisher.

The bowling department is unlikely to feature any changes as Old Trafford track offers some grip and wrist spinners have had a good time at the venue.

Incidentally, the best figures in any T20I at Old Trafford is held by India’s Kuldeep Yadav, who isn’t a part of this squad.

For England, the power-packed batting line-up led by skipper Harry Brook and the dynamic duo of Phil Salt and Tom Banton can take the Indian attack on.

Pacer Jofra Archer was later named in England’s first eleven along with Josh Tongue.

But once again the intrigue surrounds Sooryavanshi. To Play or Not To Play remains the lingering question.

Match starts at 7 p.m. IST.

Teams:

India (from): Shreyas Iyer (captain), Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Tilak Varma (vc), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana, Prince Yadav, Suryansh Shedge, Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Varun Chakravarthy.

England (Playing 11): Harry Brook (captain), Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue.

Published – July 04, 2026 04:03 am IST

India’s Smriti Mandhana ahead of the first Vitality IT20 cricket match between England and India in Chelmsford, England, on May 28, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP

India’s Shardul Thakur and Jasprit Bumrah with head coach Gautam Gambhir.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Abhishek Sharma celebrates his century against England in the fifth T20I in Mumbai, on February 2, 2025
| Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini

The series in the bag. A boisterous crowd at the Wankhede Stadium was behind the home team. It perhaps resulted in a fitting trigger for Abhishek Sharma who single-handedly blew England away with a blitzkrieg that shattered a plethora of records and set up a crushing win to help India end the T20I season on a perfect note.

Riding on Abhishek’s 135 (54b, 7×4, 13×6), India’s highest individual score in T20Is, the Men in Blue piled on 247 for nine in 20 overs after being sent in to bat. As it happens most often while chasing gargantuan targets, England wilted under pressure to be bowled out for a paltry 97 in the 11th over to hand India a 150-run win. The victory meant Suryakumar Yadav laid his hands on the trophy, with the series ending 4-1 in the host’s favour.

It was an Abhishek show all through the first half after he and Sanju Samson walked out to open the innings. While Samson set the tone by clearing deep square-leg off the first ball of the match, Abhishek — by his standards — took his time. Soon after Samson holed out to to the deep square-leg fielder for the fifth straight time, he charged down the wicket for his first boundary in the third over.

Onslaught

From that point till he perished towards the end of the innings, Abhishek’s onslaught made England fielders remain mere spectators.

When he hit it through the gap, it sped to the fence. But more often than not, he was in a mood to display his range-hitting skills. He managed to clear the rope a whopping 13 times – the most by an Indian in a T20I – four of them coming in the fifth over off Jamie Overton.

That over meant India raced to 95 for 1 in the PowerPlay, its highest in the first six-over period of a T20I. Abhishek blew a kiss as he celebrated his 17-ball fifty.

So shaken was the England bowling attack by his onslaught that it literally had nothing to resort to. When they bowled in his arc, Abhishek swung the pacers and leg-spinner Adil Rashid out of the park. When they bowled it short, he pulled it with aplomb. The best of the lot was a lofted cover drive off Brydon Carse — whose pace variations brought him wickets — that sailed over the cover fence in the ninth over.

Even though he kept losing partners at the other end, by the time the mandatory time-out was called after 10 overs, Abhishek was one run shy of becoming India’s second-fastest centurion and the total read 143 for two. Abhishek tapped one on the off-side for a rare single to acknowledge a standing ovation.

Shivam Dube then played a cameo as India ensured that the latter half was a mere formality. It turned out to be the same as India finished the game off in the 11th over. Apart from Phil Salt, who scored an impressive fifty, only Jacob Bethell managed to get into double digits.

Dhruv Jurel kept wickets in place of Samson, who injured his finger when he missed a short-ball from Archer in the first over. He took three catches, including one down the leg off Mark Wood’s inside edge to hand Mohammed Shami his third wicket.