CRICKET | Sai Sudharsan sees the positives in his injury rehabilitation break

B. Sai Sudharsan missed the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka last month due to a toe injury but there was plenty to learn for him during his rehabilitation.

“It’s not frustrating at all. It’s just the journey we are going through. And our bodies also respond to certain things. We are also refining our habits every day. So, it’s a good thing,” Sudharsan said after the third day of the ‘Test’ between India-A and Australia-A here.

The 24-year-old struck a fifty in his first innings upon returning and was on course to get another in the second until a sweep shot went awry against Todd Murphy.

“It’s a great opportunity to come back and play. When I played on the first day, that’s when I felt how badly I missed that feeling of playing in the middle. So, it was a great opportunity and a good outing as well.

“On wickets like these, it’s important to put the bowlers on the back foot and keep pressing them. So, the options were clear. Maybe the execution could have been better from my side.

“But at least, I feel there’s a lot of learning from this game. And obviously, after getting set, maybe I can make it a bigger innings rather than getting out to cheeky shots,” Sudharsan said.

The southpaw is looking forward to the next assignments with the national team, which will come in starkly varied climes and conditions.

“I feel as professionals, or even with a little bit of experience of what we have played in England or in Australia, it helps us to simulate a certain way and understand what is important, what we have to work on, or what we have to touch base before getting into New Zealand.

“And after that series, there is definitely a good amount of time to prepare for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy,” Sudharsan said.