India’s experienced all-rounder R Ashwin hailed youngster Sai Sudharsan after he scored fifty in his maiden ODI match against South Africa on Sunday.
Sudharsan, who is considered one of the most promising talents in Indian cricket, finally received his maiden India cap from stand-in captain KL Rahul just before the customary toss in the opening One Day International (ODI) match between India and South Africa at the New Wanderers Stadium.
In a match where the Proteas’ batting lineup and Ruturaj Gaikwad faced challenges, Sai Sudharsan impressed by scoring a half-century on his debut for India. He played a crucial role in guiding his team to victory, successfully leading them through the entire chase.
R Ashwin Hailed Sai Sudharsan As The Next Big Thing For Team India
Meanwhile, social media has been buzzing with amazing reactions to Sai’s brilliant performance against South Africa. Among many, R Ashwin also took to his social media and hailed Sai for his terrific knock. Ashwin took to his Twitter and wrote:
“Like Mozhi MS Bhaskar ( movie reference ), I have been repeatedly telling this about Sai Sudharsan.
‘Mark my words, this boy will go places’
Ever since his 2021 TNPL debut, he hasn’t looked back.
TNPL ✅
Ranji ✅
IPL ✅
County ✅
Ind A ✅
ODI DEBUT now ✅
Keep chasing excellence, my boy 🔥 #TeamIndia #INDvSA”
Check out the Tweet:
This isn’t the first time that Ashwin has praised the youngster for his performances and has backed him for a great future in Team India. R Ashwin has been consistently praising the talent of Sai Sudharsan from Tamil Nadu.
For the unversed, Sai Sudharshan first rose to the limelight when he played a stroke-filled knock of 62 off 48 balls against Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. He was signed for Rs 20 lakhs at the 2022 IPL auction.
“Going forward, if I’m not wrong, in two years, he’ll do something great for franchise cricket and eventually for India,” former Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Hardik Pandya had famously said after his brilliant knock.
Seven months after Pandya’s commendable remarks about the Gujarat Titans star, premier batsman Sudharsan had a dream debut in his One Day International (ODI) career for Team India.
Sudharsan emerged as the highest-paid player at the inaugural TNPL auction earlier this year. Making a comeback for the Gujarat Titans in the title-defending season of the world’s richest league, he showcased his prowess by scoring 362 runs for Pandya and the team in just 8 matches. The Indian batter impressed with three half-centuries for the 2022 champions in the previous season. Sudharsan further enhanced his value by playing a sensational innings, scoring 96 off 47 balls, in the IPL 2023 final clash between GT and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Narendra Modi Stadium.
Ashwin’s words are now proving to be accurate, as the young opener scored a half-century in his debut One Day International (ODI) match against South Africa in the first ODI held in Johannesburg. Sai played an unbeaten knock of 55 runs off 43 balls, smashing 9 fours.
