Sai Sudharsan eyes T20 improvement despite dream IPL 2025 campaign
What's the story
Sai Sudharsan, the current holder of the Orange Cap in the Indian Premier League 2025, has said that he has "a lot of things to improve" in his T20 game.
Despite his stellar performance and helping Gujarat Titans (GT) reach the playoffs this season, Sudharsan is looking for ways to enhance his skills before returning to international T20 cricket.
Notably, GT bowed out of IPL 2025 after losing the Eliminator to Mumbai Indians on Friday.
Improvement focus
Sudharsan's focus on improvement over T20 World Cup selection
When asked about his chances of playing in the T20 World Cup next year, Sudharsan said he is not thinking about it.
He stressed on the need for improvement in various aspects of his game before he plays T20 again.
"I have a lot of things to improve as a T20 batter," he said after the Eliminator match, adding that there are many areas where he needs to work on.
Playoff exit
Sudharsan's disappointment over GT's playoff exit
Sudharsan also expressed disappointment over GT's early exit from the playoffs, despite their excellent performance in the first half of the season.
He said, "It's good to see that I had a good season or I was consistent enough for my team, but I think when the job is not finished, you don't get the ultimate satisfaction when you get back home."
Match performance
Sudharsan's performance in GT's playoff match
In the Eliminator against Mumbai Indians, Sudharsan scored a brilliant 80 off 49 balls.
He shared a strong opening partnership with captain Shubman Gill, scoring 912 runs together this season.
However, after Gill was dismissed for just one run in the first over, Sudharsan took on the responsibility of chasing down MI's target of 229 runs.
His efforts, however, went in vain.
Confidence
Sudharsan's confidence in his abilities
Despite the early dismissal of Gill and absence of Jos Buttler, who left for national duties, Sudharsan was confident about chasing down the target with Kusal Mendis (20) and Washington Sundar (48).
He said, "I was confident enough that we could get those runs of course. And I was believing in myself."
At 151/2, GT were going well but momentum shifted after Sundar's dismissal. The Titans eventually lost by 20 runs.
Campaign
Sudharsan signs off with 759 runs
Sudharsan's fluent 80 off 51 balls in GT's final match of IPL 2025 took his season tally to an impressive 759 runs from 15 games.
The southpaw clocked an average of 54.21 as his strike rate read 156.17, as per ESPNcricinfo.
He scored six half-centuries besides a match-winning unbeaten hundred against Delhi Capitals.
At 23 years and 227 days, Sudharsan became the youngest player ever to compile 700 runs in a single season.
Upcoming challenges
Sudharsan's next assignment and county cricket experience
Sudharsan's next assignment is the India A tour of England, which started on the same day as GT's Eliminator.
It remains to be seen if both Sudharsan and Gill will make it in time for their second fixture starting June 6.
Having played county cricket for Surrey, Sudharsan said it was a "great experience" that improved his batting technique and basics significantly.