Sai Sudharsan is someone who's mentally tough, never under pressure: Sitanshu Kotak

India Today

India's batting coach, Sitanshu Kotak, believes that Sai Sudharsan is a player who has the mental resilience and never comes to bat under pressure. This comes after his splendid knock against the West Indies in Delhi on Day 1.

Transcript

00:00I can put on the layer next to the top of the top of the top of the top.

00:05Ok, I can put that on top of the top.

00:06Yes, Mr. Saka Hoke?

00:08Mr. Ake, Mr. Saka is ...

00:11When the rest of the draft

00:20of the first month, the last 5-on-1-14th.

00:25In the past 50, the 1.50 that said, what was the control guarantee was related to each day

00:32when they were controlled, what was the problem?

00:37See, I think the determination he showed was important.

00:43The new ball was coming in a little bit.

00:46The second 50, he also did a good pace.

00:49I felt that after 60, 65 hours, it wasn't so good at home.

00:55So, I think it took enough time.

00:57He didn't play the same time.

00:59Same thing, he also said to me in the tea time.

01:03So, it shows that last match he felt that he missed out on the beginning.

01:09So, the way he approached, I think it was brilliant.

01:13Anyway, to the contest, I had quite a few critics to answer.

01:19And again, I think I think there was a lot of positive for him.

01:23So, I thought of him and how he handled it.

01:26See, Sai, we all know how talented he is.

01:31And every time, probably, you won't look at the score.

01:36You look at the batsman, how he is betting, how he is placing his inning,

01:40what kind of shorts he plays.

01:43Sometime, one or two innings, anybody can fail.

01:45But, he betted brilliantly today.

01:48I don't think, he is someone who is mentally very tough.

01:51You will never see him under pressure.

01:53You will never see he will change his style of playing.

01:57Whatever, he always plays on the merit.

02:00So, the same way he betted today.

02:03So, like you said, you may be thinking,

02:05Are, what happens, agar sain, vapas hao hua toh.

02:08But, if you see his inning,

02:10you ever felt from bowl one that he is thinking that?

02:13Obviously, no.

02:14So, that's why, we know that how quality he is.

02:18I can't hear.

02:31I can't hear.

02:33Mike?

02:35No.

02:40No.

02:43That mic is...

02:45Yeah.

02:56Yeah.

03:05Yeah.

03:09Yeah.

03:11Yeah.

03:13See, I feel you all know that he is very aggressive and he likes to score runs quickly.

03:23According to the wicket, the way he adapted, the shots he decided on that wicket,

03:28what he felt with the bounce and the pace of the wicket was brilliant.

03:35For me, the most important was the determined he was to play a beginning.

03:41Obviously, he is still playing. But I think that determination and that belief,

03:46after not being so aggressive also, he is betting on 173 or 175.

03:51So that shows how good he betted.

03:53And selections of shots, what you are saying, square of the wicket.

03:58I think the players like him or any players at this level will obviously see the conditions,

04:03see the wicket, see the bounce, see the bowlers and then probably they will target the areas.

04:08So, I think he did brilliantly today.

04:14Obviously, Sai, so this is a game that you get to play a lot, spin and he got out of the spin early in the first step.

04:20So, just in terms of the game against spin, could you speak about what are the things that you make,

04:24in terms of the game against spin and Dow, if you could tell us what he worked on maybe before this step?

04:31See, Sai obviously, coming from Tamil Nadu, they play a lot on turning wickets.

04:38So, he is pretty good against spin.

04:42I think his back foot game and some shots he plays on back foot, not many players play.

04:48Or a lot of balls which he negotiate on back foot, most of the players would negotiate it on front foot.

04:54The only thing we talk about is some of the very full ball also, sometime he plays on back foot.

04:59So, we are trying to cut out on that.

05:01He very much knows that and he tries.

05:03And obviously, the line.

05:05So, if line is outside the off-stump, the same length he could easily go front foot and play.

05:10Then impact would be outside off-stump like that.

05:12So, all that we discussed.

05:14But his overall game against spin is lot more on back foot than front foot.

05:18And with his back swing, so the way he bats, the amount of power he generates on back foot is also amazing.

05:26Some of the shots if you have seen through mid-off extra cover and through mid-wicket and all.

05:31So, that is his strength.

05:34And I don't think it makes any difference to him whether it is spinners or fast bowlers.

05:38I think he bats equally well.

05:40I have been seeing him for last, say, 2-3 years in India and all.

05:46England A-Series he batted in three games.

05:48He got 200s, like 100 and 199.

05:51I don't think wicket or anything matters to him.

05:54But I would definitely say that, yes, on a turning track, he is a very, very good player.

06:00And exactly he knows that what areas he needs to get better at as well.

06:04Generally, wicket, I think it's a beautiful wicket.

06:32The score, 318-42, it says it's a good wicket.

06:36Veranter, naturally, where grass is not in the wicket, there is a footmark.

06:41And veranter, Indian, there will be no wicket unless it's full of grass.

06:46So, it's not veranter expected.

06:47So, wicket what we see now, that's probably the same we expected.

06:51So, on one side, naturally, the wicket used, the grass was less.

06:56There is a little bit of grass.

06:57Another thing I felt, the kale, which was out, that was the first ball, which spun.

07:03And another thing, that it was the slowest ball.

07:08The slow ball was being used, it was a little bit of a spin.

07:13And the ball, I think, like we just discussed, that it was able to negotiate in the future.

07:18So, he went back, but wicket is good, I think, wicket is good.

07:25We try and play at least couple of sessions and take it from there.

07:31See, I feel they all mature enough and they know that the best playing eleven is playing,

07:55you can't play all fifteen.

07:57One thing, another thing, from our side, from support staff, we try our best to see that

08:03we definitely get enough volume of betting in practice, whether it's a practice day or a match day.

08:10So, if from here he's going for a Ranji Trophy, which is starting on 15th,

08:14so our job is to make sure he's prepared for that.

08:18And he's not, like because he has not played, he's not underprepared.

08:22So, we do that and Devadath is a very, very, particularly about him, he's a very calm personality.

08:28He, and they all are, to be very honest.

08:30They all know that this is the best eleven we can put on the ground.

08:35So, I don't think mentally, I have not seen many of them getting too frustrated about not playing

08:42or they all know that when our turn comes, we'll play.

08:44So, it's quite a healthy environment, I feel.

08:48So, I, I, I, never, I, nobody has ever come to me and complained or behaved in a way where we feel that,

08:55oh, he's not playing and not happy.

08:56See, I, I honestly feel that it's more on a mindset.

09:25Whether you step out or you have shorts playing from the crease,

09:30I don't think it has to be any particular thing.

09:33Some guys play step out well, some guys play sweep and cut well.

09:36Some guys are good just staying on the wicket and playing on front foot.

09:42So, that every individual way they brought up, the conditions they have been brought up in, they play.

09:47For me, important is the temperament which we saw in Red Bull.

09:52Which, honestly, I'm saying I was so happy in England because we planned that we'll play like this

09:58and everybody, if you see, very excited to see Jaiswal, very better, very better today.

10:04Geel, very better.

10:05KL, very better.

10:06Even Chaddu.

10:07I mean, anyone you take, if you, even Washington, if you go back in, if you see that the way they have approached,

10:16it was completely positive approach.

10:18We are trying to score 350-60 runs in a day, which is 4 and over.

10:22If we bowl 80 overs only, obviously, we still got 320, that kind of a score.

10:28So, we felt with a positive intent also, this amount of skill our batters possess.

10:35I don't think we need to, everybody need to have any particular kind of a game.

10:41So, say, KL would step out, Geel would step out, Jaiswal would if you see the fly.

10:47But not compulsory.

10:49Pujara was different.

10:50And Pujara was someone who would love to step out and try and see that bowler bowl short and then he'll play cut.

10:58So, his game was great the way he wanted to.

11:02He was someone who was trying to make bowler bowls the way he wants.

11:07But then everyone have a different strength.

11:10So, like today Subman, the first short he played over mid-wicket, the bowl was coming obviously slow.

11:17And probably he felt he wanted to start that way.

11:19A couple of good shots like that.

11:21There's nothing wrong.

11:22At the same time, he may have a top edge and get out and we feel what he has done.

11:26But in a dressing room, we know that what we are trying.

11:29And I think most of the time, they are executing brilliantly.

11:33So, it's great to see the way we are playing red ball as a betting unit.

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