Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan is mighty impressed with youngster Sai Sudarshan, who scored a maiden fifty in his debut ODI against South Africa on Sunday. With just one match under his belt, Pathan feels that Sai can be a long-term solution for India.
Pathan said on Star Sports, “If someone bats like this on a South African pitch, you feel you have found someone who can play for the Indian team for the next 10-15 years. It is very early but still an exceptional start. The first four came off the first ball. So he started extremely well.”
Pathan backed up his claim by talking about Sai Sudarshan’s technique. “When you see him bat, he stays upright, plays the short ball well, uses his feet well, plays fast bowling and spin equally well off both the front and back foot, brings the sweep shot out, and then dances down the track to generate pace if a fast bowler doesn’t have the pace. So it seems like he is extremely mature.”
The southpaw hit nine fours in his innings of 55, and stitched an 88-run partnership with Shreyas Iyer.
“His List A career has been fantastic, he has an average of over 60. Secondly, he has done very well in the IPL. Thirdly, he has just come after playing county cricket. When you combine all these things, at such a young age, he has got a chance to play in different places and positions and made the most of it.”
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