Team India Newcomer Names Spinner As 'Inspiration'. Not R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja Or Kuldeep Yadav
Ahead of the first Test against England at Leeds, India's rising batting star Sai Sudharsan spoke on how fellow Tamil Nadu all-rounder Washington Sundar has been an inspiration for him, motivating him to rise up the ranks and wear the Indian colours quickly. The first Test against England at Leeds from June 20 onwards could kickstart the Test career of a 23-year-old Sudharsan, who has represented India in three ODIs and a T20I so far, getting two ODI half-centuries in South Africa. Recently, he won the Orange Cap for most runs and the 'Emerging Player' award during the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Gujarat Titans (GT), scoring 759 runs in 16 innings, with a century and six half-centuries.
Sudharsan is Sundar's junior in domestic cricket, with the all-rounder having made his first-class debut at the age of 17 back in 2016. Sudharsan's debut came at the age of 21, six years later. Before becoming an IPL star, Sudharsan's grind came in Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), where he sits at number 10 among top run-getters, with 1,303 runs in 30 innings at an average of 56.65, a century and 13 fifties.
Speaking about looking up to Sundar, who made his international debut as a teen in 2017 and Test debut in 2021 during the legendary Brisbane Test against Australia, Sudharsan said that the 25-year-old's quick rise served as an "inspiration" and "motivator" for him.
"He has been my inspiration since I was young. I have played a few games against him, so it is always special. To be honest, we have looked up to him a lot. I have practised once or twice (against Sundar), the way he went up and the way he played for the country, it was really quick, so I had that in my mind. He did well in the IPL, and then he played for the country. So it was a great motivator for me from Chennai. Knowing him since I was young, playing with him, it is kind of inspiring. It made me feel I want to do things the same way," said Sudharsan in a video posted on BCCI's official website.
Sundar is also extremely proud of the youngster's growth over the years, saying that he has inspired a lot of kids in Chennai already.
"I have watched him on TV. There is a lot to take away from him, his skillset and work ethic he has got. He has inspired a lot of kids in Chennai, and I hope he will continue inspiring kids all over the world," said Sundar.
"He has told me about that quite a few times. A lot of my friends and coaches, as well, have spoken about his growth. He has only grown in the last three or four years and has got better with every year," he concluded.
India tour of England will take place from June to August 2025, with matches to be played at Headingley (Leeds), Edgbaston (Birmingham), Lord's (London), Old Trafford (Manchester), and The Oval (London).
A new era beckons for India in the Test format as the modern-day giants gear up for their first assignment without the prized batting bigwigs Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Shubman Gill, India's youngest Test captain, has taken the baton from Rohit to guide the nation to success and challenge for the World Test Championship mace.
India's Test squad for England series: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
ENG vs IND: Rishabh Pant becomes second Indian wicketkeeper to 3000 Test runs after MS Dhoni
Rishabh Pant became the second Indian wicket-keeper batter to get to 3000 Test runs, during India's first Test against England in Leeds on Friday. Pant joins MS Dhoni in the elite list of Indian keeper batters. Playing his 44th Test, Pant crossed the 3000-run landmark with a four against English pacer Chris Woakes, which also took him to his fifty in the opening Test. This was Pant's fifth 50+ score in Test cricket in England, which includes two hundreds. Dhoni aggregated 4876 runs from 90 Tests at an average of 38.09.
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Paris Diamond League Live Updates: Neeraj maintains lead from Weber
Another foul throw from Neeraj as his 5th attempt also fails help him go past the 90m mark. Weber is yet to challenge Neeraj after the initial throw and gets 84.5 with his fifth attempt. You can never rule out the German and all eyes will be on the final throw as both men will go head-to-head. The temperature has started to drop at the venue and this could have an effect on throws going forward. Neeraj maintains the lead but will need to improve in his final two throws to seal the deal. The Indian ace hasn't been able to get his rhythm right in the last two attempts, with his fourth throw also being called as a foul one. Thankfully for Neeraj, Weber is yet to better his tally and get close to the Indian ace as he produces 83.13 m in his fourth attempt. A sensational throw of 86.62 m saw Luiz Mauricio overtake Keshorn Walcott and claim the third spot. Once again, Neeraj is maintaining the lead at the moment as we head into the final three throws. The third attempt from Neeraj Chopra has been a foul throw and it hasn't been recorded. Weber's attempt wasn't the best as well as he got 82.03 m with his third attempt, meaning that the Indian ace maintains his lead for now. After the end of the second round of throws, Neeraj still holds a slender lead over Weber. Walcott is in third at the moment but he is still far away from the top two. Neeraj hit 85.10 m with his second attempt but retains the lead for now as Weber could only muster 86.20 in this round. Peters bettered his first attempt with a 80.25 m throw in the second one. Keshorn Walcott maintains his spot in the top three with a 81.66 m throw in his second attempt. After the first round of throws, it is Neeraj who is leading the way followed by Weber and Peters. It does seem like it will be a shoot-out between Neeraj and Weber for the top spot, as it had been the case in Doha. Julian Weber is keeping the pressure on Neeraj with an 87.88 m throw with his first attempt. Neeraj still retains the lead after throwing 88.16 m with his first throw. A fantastic start from the Indian star as he hits 88.16 m with his first throw and has taken the early lead at the event. Can he go past 90 m once again? The javelin event is underway and Anderson Peters gets things up and running with a 77.89 m. Neeraj is up next... Neeraj Chopra will be going second in the javelin event at the Paris Diamond League. Anderson Peters will start the proceedings with Julian Weber going third. When it comes to Diamond League events in Paris, Neeraj last competed in 2017 when he was the junior world champion. That time around, he finished fifth with a best throw of 84.67 m. Neeraj will be up against Weber once again, who will form a formidable lineup that will contain the likes of Andersen Peters, Julius Yego and Keshorn Walcott. In fact, out of the eight participants, five have a personal best above 90 metres. Peters achieved the mark in 2022 and has the best personal throw (93.07 m) amongst the eight participants. He also took part in the Doha Diamond League and the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Poland and finished in the third spot. PARIS DIAMOND LEAGUE START LIST Neeraj Chopra - Season Best: 90.23 | Personal Best: 90.23 Anderson Peters - Season Best: 85.64 | Personal Best: 93.07 Julian Weber - Season Best: 91.06 | Personal Best: 91.06 Keshorn Walcott - Season Best: 84.65 | Personal Best: 90.16 Julius Yego - Season Best: 83.08 | Personal Best: 92.72 Luiz Mauricio da Silva - Season Best: 86.34 | Personal Best: 86.34 Andrian Mardare - Season Best: 80.51 | Personal Best: 86.66 Remi Rougetet - Season Best: 80.49 | Personal Best: 80.49 Neeraj started his year by winning the Potch Invitational Meet in Potchefstroom, South Africa, in April with a modest throw of 84.52 m. His first Diamond League appearance was in Doha, where he broke the 90-metre jinx and finished second behind Weber. The German upstaged Neeraj once again at the Janusz Kusocinski Memorial in Poland last month with a throw of 86.12 m. Neeraj was able to hit 84.14m on a wet and tricky evening. The coaching changes he made after the end of last season have worked wonders for Neeraj as Jan Zelezny, the world record holder in javelin, has given him a new perspective to things. Now, the aim is to get that first title in the bag, especially with the Neeraj Chopra Classic in India just a few weeks away. "Not just for me, but at least for Indians, the burden has been reduced." These were the words of Neeraj Chopra when he was finally able to break the 90-metre mark at the Doha Diamond League in May this year. It was a dragon that Neeraj had been chasing for quite some time after starting his journey in 2018. He came close a few times but was never really able to get over the line. But finally, at the Suheim bin Hamad Stadium, Neeraj was able to hit 90.23 m and get the monkey off his back. However, that wasn't enough for him to get the win on the day as Germany's Julian Weber was able to produce a throw of 91.06 m with his final throw in Doha and claim the top step of the podium. Now, in a stacked card that includes some big names, the 27-year-old will look to go again, with a first title win in mind. This will be the first time in eight years that Neeraj will compete in a Diamond League event in Paris. He had skipped the event last year to focus on the Paris Olympics, where he finished with a silver medal. The last time he took part was as a junior world champion, and he finished fifth with the best throw of 84.67 m. Since then, the legend of Neeraj has grown, adding an Olympic gold and silver to his name.
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Yashasvi Jaiswal reveals mantra after Leeds hundred: Being myself, keeping it simple
Yashasvi Jaiswal revealed his mantra while batting after scoring a scintillating hundred against England on Day one of the first Test in Leeds on Friday, June 20. Jaiswal scored 101 off 159 balls and became the first overseas batter to score hundreds in his maiden innings in both Australia and England. Jaiswal was also the fifth Indian batter to score a hundred in his maiden innings on English soil. advertisementThe young opener's innings was crucial as India ended day one on 359 for three. Speaking to Sky Sports after the day's play, Jaiswal said that he was trying to just be himself and go out and enjoy his game. The youngster also said that during the practice sessions they were looking to keep things as simple as possible and play within the area. Jaiswal said that whenever he feels a loose ball is available, he would go after it. "I just try to be myself and try to go out there and enjoy the game and prepare really well, so that's, that's what I do all the time." "Nothing much as we had very, very good practise sessions and matches before a few weeks and we were trying to make it as simple as possible and try to play within the area. And if there is a loose ball, I always believe that we need to go for it and I really enjoyed it," said Jaiswal. 'It was very special'advertisementThis was Jaiswal's fifth Test hundred and his third against England. The young opener said that it was a very special one for him and meant a lot to him. Jaiswal said that he wanted to get in and do something for the team, country and for himself to justify the work he had put in before the start of the tour. "It was very special, it meant a lot to me.""I just wanted to get in and do something for my team, for my country and for myself after the work I have put in. I loved it," said Jaiswal. This was also the third country in which Jaiswal got a hundred in his maiden knock. Must Watch
