Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has said that the upcoming second Test match against West Indies in Delhi is a crucial game for southpaw Sai Sudharsan. The 39-year-old came out in support of the youngster admitting that he had a very good temperament, but adding that he wasn’t aware of the headspace he was in.
Ashwin said that the left-hander won’t get a better series than the one against West Indies to cement his place in the side. Sudharsan made only seven runs in the series opener at Ahmedabad, which the hosts won by an innings and 140 runs.
“I think Sai Sudarshan is temperamentally very sound. But I have no idea how he is treating him inside. What sort of bubble he is in and all that, I am not very sure. But for Sai Sudarshan, to cement his place, you won’t get a better series than this.”
“So, I really hope he capitalizes on that innings in Delhi. He is young, very motivated, high-quality player. I really hope he gets runs in this game. Because otherwise, with the competition that is there in the Indian Test side, I think he could find it a little uphill after this. For that reason, I think this Test match is very, very important. I really hope he plays this Test match. I think they should give him another go,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel “Ash ki Baat”.
Ashwin admitted that Karnataka left-hander Devdutt Padikkal was breathing down Sudharsan’s neck as far as competition for the top order spot was concerned. He, however, did admit more players competing for a spot was good for the game.
“I remember, we played a practice match in Perth before the Australia test match. Devdutt and Abhimanyu Eswaran in Perth. India bowled us out in the first innings. The next day, they played for two hours without wickets. And on really tough conditions against Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah. They didn’t give wickets. And they played fabulously well. Devdutt Padikkal was unbelievably good. So, Devdutt Padikkal is breathing under Sai Sudarshan’s throat a little bit. I think it’s good for the game. It’s good for in-game cricket. But it’s a very important test match for Sai Sudarshan,” Ashwin said.
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