Sai Sudharsan’s India debut was the one to remember. The promising batter began his international journey with a fifty in his first match, helping India win the Johannesburg ODI against South Africa by eight wickets. The left-handed batter was among the two debutants alongside Rinku Singh for India and opened, hitting an unbeaten 55 that included nine fours.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Taking to social media, Sai wrote he feels blessed to be in this position, helping India take an early lead in the three-match series. Besides, he added with utter hard work and grit, he could achieve his dream of playing for India.
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Sai also thanked the stand-in captain, KL Rahul, for presenting him with his ODI cap while acknowledging batting alongside Shreyas Iyer, who also hit a fifty.
Sai wrote on X, ‘Growing up as a small kid like everybody I also dreamt of playing for the country. So with hardwork n grit dreams do come true. Blessed to represent the country and contribute for the team. Looking forward to lots of memories. Special to receive the cap from @klrahul Bhai & it was amazing to bat with @ShreyasIyer15 Bhai.”
Sai’s emergence into top-flight cricket was organic and began with his exploits in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) in 2021. Thanks to his performance, teams started monitoring his progress, with Gujarat Titans grabbing this chance with both hands and bringing him on board in IPL.
Having won the maiden edition in 2022, Sai upped the ante the following season, hitting 362 runs at a strike rate of over 141. His 96 against Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2023 final was his standout performance, although that failed to inspire his team to win back-to-back titles.
Following the first ODI, even Ravi Ashwin posted on X, celebrating Sai’s India debut and pressed on how his rise from a regular in TNPL to making his India debut is a beautiful story in itself.
Meanwhile, India drew first blood in the three-match series, with the second ODI in Gqeberha and third in Paarl scheduled on 19 and 21, respectively.
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