Sai Sudharsan's Preparation for England Test Series Praised by Alec Stewart

Alec Stewart's Insights on Sai Sudharsan

As the director of cricket for Surrey, Alec Stewart has been closely monitoring Sai Sudharsan's development in English conditions. The Tamil Nadu batsman played for the Brown Caps during the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Stewart revealed that Sudharsan took Dukes cricket balls back home to practice, ensuring he was well-prepared for any potential call-up to the Indian national team. His hard work has paid off, as he has been selected in India's 18-man squad for the upcoming five-match Test series against England, starting June 20.

Stewart's Comments on Sudharsan

"When he's gone back home, he's taken some of our Dukes cricket balls back with him. I didn't charge him for them and just let him have them. But, no he had that forward-thinking [mindset] and trained with those balls, so that when he comes back to us, or hopefully [is] picked for India on tour, he'll have had nice practice against the Dukes cricket ball as well,” 

The former England wicketkeeper commended Sudharsan for his ability to play the ball late, a skill that could serve him well in English conditions.

"He plays the ball late, and that's the most important thing here. If you go too hard and get too far out in front of yourself, when the ball seams, you're not in control, then your bat can get outside of your eyeline, whereas he plays it under his eyeline, plays it under his eyes, and plays it late. And even if he does nick it a little bit, like Kane Williamson, for example - you can nick it, but it still falls short of slip and that again is a real attribute of Sai's,” he added.

Sudharsan has participated in three ODIs and one T20I so far but has yet to make his debut in the Indian Test team. Having recently secured the Orange Cap in IPL 2025, he enters the Test series with significant confidence. The 23-year-old has played 29 first-class matches, scoring 1957 runs at an average of 39.93.