Sai Sudharsan reveals his mindset after failing to score maiden Test century for India

Sai Sudharsan’s wait for his maiden Test hundred continues, but this time he has impressed everyone with his intent and pace. On a hot Delhi afternoon, the 23-year-old left-hander made a composed 87 against the West Indies, a knock that saw him unleashed on the big stage. Arriving under pressure, with questions hovering over his place at No.3, Sudharsan played like a man determined to silence all the noise.

His technique stood up to both pace and spin, and by the time he reached his second Test fifty, he had not offered a single false shot. Alongside Yashasvi Jaiswal, he made a 193-run stand that anchored India’s innings. But just as the century seemed inevitable, Jomel Warrican produced a ripper, a ball that turned sharply and trapped Sudharsan in front. The dismissal was unfortunate and ended in heartbreak for Sudharsan.

Sudharsan, who looked nervous in all his previous Test innings, bowled more freely in Delhi. A wrist spinner, Sudharsan hit 12 boundaries in his 165-ball stay and remained at the top of the Caribbean spinners for the most part. While the opposition had two left-arm bowlers falling at them, Sudharsan bowled 62% of his runs from the side, meaning he was playing on merit.

“I want these 100”: Sai Sudharsan

Speaking after the difficulties of the first day, Sudharsan did not hesitate to admit the mixture of satisfaction and desire that comes with missing out on a hundred by a whisker.

“I’m really grateful for everything I’ve done today, but there’s always a monkey in our mind that wants more, that wants a hundred, and so I was looking forward to a lot more. It was a good contribution and a very good partnership with (Yashasvi) Jaiswal. I wasn’t thinking about making points, I was a little freer and I expressed myself a little better in this round“, he told the host channel.

“I I was able to take a little more time and let things happen instead of trying to make things happen.” he added, showing the subtle mental shift that helped him settle into his rhythm.

The Tamil Nadu batter was full of praise for his partner Jaiswal, who remained unbeaten on 173 at stumps. “It’s fascinating and so exciting to look at it from the other side. He plays a lot of exciting shots. He converts a lot of good balls into boundaries, so it’s really good to watch. It gives me more awareness of the type of shots to play» said Sudharsan.

While India ended the day at 318/2, Sudharsan’s 165-ball vigil may not have brought him a century, but it did provide a glimpse of a batter slowly learning, adapting and growing in his Test role. As he summed it up: “There’s no competition there, but I’m learning a lot more and I’m more aware of what shots to play if I want to convert good balls into runs..”