'Don't Want to be Getting Out in the 50s and 60s': Sunil Gavaskar's Advice to Sai Sudharsan

Batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has some advice for young India batter Sai Sudharsan who has made an impressive debut in the ODI series underway in South Africa.

Sudharsan kicked off his international career with a blazing half-century in the first ODI against the Proteas. He replicated the performance in the following fixture where the 22-year-old notched another fifty, scoring 62 runs off 83 balls.

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In a recent interaction with Star Sports, Gavaskar showered praise on Sudharsan, referring to the youngster’s talent and temperament.

Highlighting the impressive aspects of his batting, the cricketer-turned-pundit said, “A very compact player plays close to his body, and has got a good very still head. So balance is very good when he’s playing. And, of course, when he plays drives like that. Left-handers can be so elegant when they play, they can play the pull shot as well.”

Gavaskar feels Sudharsan should not be satisfied with these 50s and 60s and wants him to target a triple-figure score when India and South Africa square off for the third ODI.

Referring to Sudharsan’s batting position, Gavaskar said that the young opener would get plenty of time to get settled at the crease and so a composed approach might help him register a hundred.

“You don’t want to be getting out in the 50s and 60s. When you bat up the order, you have the opportunity to score a 100 every time. So I think that is what he’s got to grab so that somebody will be talking only about who will partner Sai Sudharsan at the top,” Gavaskar explained.

Sudharsan is only the second Indian batter to register consecutive fifty-plus scores in his first two ODIs.

Former India opener Navjot Singh Sidhu has earlier achieved the feat, striking four half-centuries on the trot in his first four appearances in the 50-over format.

With both teams securing one victory each, the upcoming ODI between India and South Africa will be the decider of the three-match series. The highly anticipated clash will be hosted in Paarl on Thursday.