India A vs Australia A: Sai Sudharsan excited to be back and play in 50-over format

B Sai Sudharsan during a training session on MondayR SRIRAM

PUDUCHERRY: The last time B Sai Sudharsan played a white-ball match was during the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Tamil Nadu in December 2025. The youngster, who made his India debut in the one-day format in 2023, has missed a lot of white-ball cricket in the last 18 months or so, except for the Indian Premier League, due to injuries and red-ball commitments.

The 24-year-old, on Tuesday, will be back in action for India A in the List A format against Australia A here in Puducherry. Though he made a comeback in the two red-ball matches against the same opponent a few days ago, Sai Sudharsan is excited to be in the middle again in the 50-over format. "First of all, I was very excited to come back and play. When I played the first day, that was when I felt how long I had been missing this feeling," he reflected on the eve of the match.

For the Tamil Nadu batter, who missed the Sri Lanka Test series where Devdutt Padikkal scored two centuries, the journey back has been about writing his own story. He will play in a team which has many contemporaries like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devdutt Padikkal, or Rajat Patidar, but Sai Sudharsan is not looking to compete with any of them. "I don't think I am looking to find a place anywhere. I have always been opening in 50-over and T20 cricket. So I look at it that way and try to give my best and perform so that the team wins from a good position. That's what I'm focused on. I feel mentally we have to understand that we are all writing our own story rather than playing against each other. Having trust and belief in ourselves and divine timing will make everything pan out fantastically well," said Sai Sudharsan.

Asked if it is hard to adapt, especially having not played much of white-ball cricket outside of IPL in recent times, Sai Sudharsan said the experience of the league has helped him understand the adjustments he needs to make. "Having played five consecutive years of IPL, I have little understanding of what we need when we shift from white ball to red ball or red ball to white ball. Small experiences have helped me to understand what is important when we shift. I worked on that. I have been fine-tuning that whenever I shift between formats.

"It is a great opportunity to play 50-over cricket. I feel it is one of the interesting formats as well. It brings out the best in you when you play against Australia. Because of the intensity they bring, it brings the best out of you. I look at it as a complete opportunity. We also have an opportunity to win games and make our team win," he signed off.