"You are one of the best players..."- Sai Sudharsan opens up on Gautam Gambhir's support during the West Indies test series

Sai Sudharsan lauded India head coach Gautam Gambhir for his backing.

Indian Cricket Team batter Sai Sudharsan has said that head coach Gautam Gambhir has given him immense support since his debut in test cricket. The Indian youngster also revealed how Gambhir motivated and backed him during the recent home test series against West Indies earlier this month.

Sudharsan made his test debut against England in Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 earlier this year, where he failed to make a mark by scoring 140 runs at an average of 23.33 across three matches including a duck in his first outing. However, he was backed for the next test series against the West Indies at home.

In the first test against the West Indies in Ahmedabad, the 24-year-old got out for seven runs in the only innings he batted, with India winning the game by an innings and 140 runs. Ahead of the second test at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, he was under some pressure due to his dismal show in the opening game.

The support has been impeccable: Sai Sudharsan on head coach Gautam Gambhir

During a chat with ESPN Cricinfo, Sudharsan revealed how Gambhir motivated him ahead of the second test against the West Indies and backed him for the encounter despite his poor show in the first game. He also added that the support from Gambhir boosted his confidence.

“The support has been impeccable. After the first game in Ahmedabad, we were practicing at the Feroz Shah Kotla nets. As always, I was the last to come out of the nets. GG [Gambhir Gambhir] sir called me and said, ‘You are not getting desperate. You are one of the best players in the country. So do not think about any of the other things. Don’t think that you have to score runs in this game or what will happen if you don’t’,” he said.

“He told me, ‘You will play.’ The way he said that gave me so much confidence and freedom. I was trying to be more free and not think about external factors or the magnitude of things. But when you hear it from the head coach himself, the perspective and environment change drastically,” he added.

“That helped me express myself better as well. Even in that game [2nd Test], I wasn’t in a mindset just to get runs, I was in a mindset to fight and win for the team, to dominate for the team,” Sudharsan further said.

Notably, the left-handed batter came up with an impressive batting show in the second test against the West Indies, scoring 87 and 39 in the game, which India won by seven wickets to register a clean sweep against the visitors in the two-match series.

Meanwhile, Sudharsan is gearing up to play for India A in the unofficial test series against South Africa A. He has been named as India A’s vice-captain for the series, which will begin with the opening game on Thursday, October 30 in Bengaluru.

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