Former India batter Cheteshwar Pujara has voiced his support for young batter Sai Sudharsan, saying the left-hander has great potential but needs to convert his starts into big scores.
Speaking to the media ahead of the first Test against South Africa at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Pujara said: “Yes, it will be an important series for Sai, but he’s a young player who is maturing very quickly. He scored runs in England and also did well against the West Indies, so he has shown he has the potential. It’s now about converting his starts and making sure he doesn’t give away his wicket. There were a couple of soft dismissals in England, so he will need to avoid that and turn his starts into big scores. Once he gets that first Test hundred, I think he will be a lot more confident.”
Sai was selected for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in England with high expectations and started the series at No. 3. However, he struggled to settle and was later moved down the order. He finished the series with 140 runs in three matches at an average of 23.33, including a lone fifty.
In the home series against West Indies, Sai showed improvement, scoring 133 runs in two matches at an average of 44.33.
Pujara, who himself was India’s long-time No. 3 in Tests, believes Sai’s left-handed batting offers a valuable balance to the lineup.
“Because Sai is a left-hander, it will be crucial for him to hold on to that number three position. When I was playing, the Indian team didn’t have too many left-handers in the top order, but now we have Yashasvi and Sai, and both play a crucial role in the XI. I hope Sai gets his maiden hundred soon. He has shown a lot of potential, and I’m very hopeful he will start scoring runs consistently,” he added.
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