Sai Sudarshan scores a blistering century before lunch but fails to convert the start into a big knock much to the Selector's annoyance
Another prospective TN opener Kaushik Gandhi too scores a hundred under the watchful eyes of Vasudevan
When two prospective TN openers came back after lunch having already posted a century partnership, they did not know that the Chairman of the TN Selection Committee and former Ranji Trophy winning captain S Vasudevan had come to watch them bat. Sitting in a corner under the shade of the beautiful trees in the picturesque IIT Stadium ground, Vasudevan was making quiet observations about the batting of the two Jolly Rovers openers.
In a stunning display of batsman-ship and continuing his great form, Sai Sudarshan had struck a century before lunch while Kaushik Gandhi, who is bullish on his prospects for this season was a quieter self (https://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2022/08/kaushik-m-gandhi-tn-opener-tnpl-captain.html).
Vasudevan repeatedly made the comment early into the afternoon session that both of them looked in no trouble and that it was an ideal opportunity for Sai Sudarshan who was stroking the ball beautifully to convert this into a big double hundred. He told this writer that rarely does one get to a century before lunch on the opening day “With the three day unlimited overs format this year, Sai has a great chance to bat through the whole of day 1 and post a big double century. This will give him great confidence that he can play the big knock in multi day format.”
However, soon after and much to the Chairman’s annoyance, Sai Sudarshan picked out the only fielder in the deep at Long On. Vasudevan is not known to display emotions but this afternoon he was quite upset that the opener had blown away the chance to convert the century into a big one.
Just a couple of kms East, Vasudevan had watched IP's Rajwinder Singh bowl out MCC on a square turner in the morning session at the India Pistons ground. “There are pitches like that where teams get bowled out. Hence when you get a start on a good wicket like this, it is important to convert.”
With his performance in the IPL and TNPL and the start he has had to the new league season, it is likely that Sai Sudarshan will be an automatic chance in the TN Squad this year but it is opportunities like these that he would have to capitalize on to showcase to the selectors that he has it in him to play the long innings and score the big hundred.
Vasudevan has always been known not to mince words and he called out for Sai to have a longish chat with him during the tea break impressing upon him the importance of converting hundreds into a double and more citing the example of Inderjith's double in the recent past. He provided a logical commentary on the way the match situation was at the time Sai was batting just after lunch “The field was spread, you had a single on offer everywhere and there was more than half a day’s play to go. You had the opposition under your control. Converting a century before lunch into a really big knock gives a batsman a great deal of confidence especially at the start of a new season.”
Sai said that he knew the moment he got out that he had missed out on a great opportunity to make the start count.
While Kaushik Gandhi, who has not had a particularly good start to the league season, made his way to a quieter century, he blossomed in the middle session with cuts and sweeps and continued in his usual self in the way he made those big hundreds in Ranji cricket, though he too got out in the final session half hour before close of play.
Despite both of them not going on to big hundreds, they had impressed the Chairman of Selectors with their batting display on this day and would have done their selection prospects no harm.