"His Wagon Wheel…": Ex-India Star Points Out The Quality That Makes Sai Sudharsan Special

Former India cricketer and JioStar expert Sanjay Bangar heaped praise on Sai Sudharsan following the left-hander’s match-winning century against Delhi Capitals (DC), lauding his composure and intelligent shot selection in the shortest format. Sudharsan remained unbeaten on 108 off just 61 deliveries, an innings laced with twelve boundaries and four sixes, as he guided Gujarat Titans (GT) to a dominant 10-wicket win. Chasing a daunting 200-run target, GT got home with an over to spare at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, thanks largely to the southpaw’s masterclass.

Speaking on JioHotstar, Bangar highlighted the technical maturity Sudharsan brings to the crease, even in the high-pressure T20 format.

“What I really like about Sai Sudharsan’s batting–even in this format–is the control he shows,” Bangar noted.

“When he looks to hit, the top hand does a lot of the work, and the ball often bounces close to him, whether he’s playing in front or square of the wicket,” he added.

Bangar also emphasized the difficulty of maintaining such restraint during the powerplay, something Sudharsan has handled with remarkable clarity.

“It’s tough to show that kind of restraint in the first six overs, but once he gets through them, he opens up and plays lofted shots with equal assurance,” Bangar added.

“His wagon wheel showed runs across all regions–he doesn’t rely on just one scoring area. That’s been a hallmark of his batting, and he’s delivering these performances consistently now,” he noted.

Sudharsan is at the top with 617 runs in 12 matches, with five fifties and a hundred.

Recapping the match, the GT skipper Shubman Gill won the toss and elected to field.

After DC lost Faf Du Plessis early, a 90-run stand between KL Rahul and Abishek Porel (30 in 19 balls, with a four and three sixes) and cameos from skipper Axar Patel (25 in 16 balls, with two fours and a six) and Tristan Stubbs (21* in 10 balls, with two sixes) helped DC reach 199/3. KL had a solid 45-run stand for the third wicket and a 48-run stand for the fourth wicket with Axar and Stubbs, respectively.

Sai Kishore, Prasidh Krishna, and Arshad Khan each got a wicket.

However, DC’s bowling struggled against ultra-consistent Shubman Gill (93* in 53 balls, with three fours and seven sixes) and Sai Sudharsan (108* in just 61 balls, with 12 fours and four sixes). They put on a dominant 205 run partnership, helping GT win with an over left.

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