IND vs WI, 2nd Test: You will never see Sudharsan under pressure or change his style of playing, says batting coach Kotak

Sai Sudharsan showed signs of finding his feet in international cricket by registering his second Test fifty during the second match against West Indies in New Delhi, but batting coach Sitanshu Kotak insisted that his topsy-turvy start in Test cricket has never bogged him down.

“We all know how talented he is. Every time you won’t look at the score, you look at the batter [too]; how he is batting, how he is pacing his innings, what kind of shots he plays. Sometimes, in one or two innings, anybody can fail, but he batted brilliantly today. I think he is someone who is mentally very tough; you will never see him under pressure, you will never see him change his style of playing. He always plays on the merit. So, the same way he batted today,” Kotak said at the post-match press conference.

Sudharsan had scored 147 runs in seven innings before Friday, and his contributions were keenly followed. He came in when India lost KL Rahul inside the first session and made the most of batter-friendly conditions. His 193-run stand with Yashasvi Jaiswal ensured India pulled ahead in the contest.

He relied heavily on playing off his back foot, using the crease to hit the spinners through the V.

“Sai, obviously, coming from Tamil Nadu, they play a lot on turning wickets. So, he is pretty good against spin. I think his back foot game, and some shots he plays on the back foot, not many players play, or a lot of balls which he negotiates on the back foot, most of the players would negotiate it off the front foot,” Kotak said.

However, the inclination to play off his back foot also cost him. Sudharsan pegged back into his crease against left-arm orthodox Jomel Warrican and was trapped in front when the ball kept low and skidded through, falling 13 short of a maiden ton.

“The only thing we talk about is, some of the very full balls also he plays on the back foot. So, we are trying to cut out on that. He very much knows that, and he tries. [During today’s dismissal] If he plays outside the off stump [line], the same length, he could easily go front foot and play. Then impact would be outside off stump,” Kotak added.

ALSO READ | Jaiswal’s hundred helps India dominate West Indies on Day 1

Kotak also heaped praise on Jaiswal, who brought up his seventh Test hundred. What stood out for the team’s batting coach was how Jaiswal paced his innings and kept his game in sync with what the conditions and situation demanded. Jaiswal was batting on 173 at close of play and is on the cusp of his third double century.

“The determination he showed was important. The new ball was coming on the bat better; he did the second 50 at a good pace, but I felt after 60-65 overs, the ball was not coming on as well as it should have. So, I think he took enough time; he did not play a single bad shot. He spoke about the same to me during tea time. In the last match, he felt he missed out on the beginning. So, the way he approached it [today], I think it was brilliant,” Kotak said.

Jaiswal’s lead act, along with Sudharsan’s support act, got India to 318 for two at stumps, and Kotak felt the pitch was still conducive to batting, despite both of India’s wickets coming off deliveries that spun sharply, quite uncharacteristically for a first day.

“I think it is a beautiful wicket. The score, 318 for two, says it is a good wicket. Where there is no grass, there is a foot mark. That will happen on any wicket. So, that was expected. On one side, the wicket that was used, there was less grass. From there, it skidded a bit more.

“Another thing I felt, the ball that KL got out on, that was the first ball which spun. And, it spun a bit more [than usual]. And, Sai’s ball, I think, like we just discussed, he could have negotiated further. I think the wicket is good. We will try and play at least a couple of sessions and take it from there,” Kotak said.

A harsh reality

West Indies’ assistant coach Floyd Reifer said his team’s grind on the opening day was a harsh brush with reality, with respect to how far the unit needs to go to match the top teams’ standards.

“Indeed, a difficult day. Obviously, you come to India on good batting wickets. I thought that Jaiswal batted well. So, it’s an opportunity for our bowlers again to really learn how to bowl at the right lines and lengths for long periods of time. So, it’s a good opportunity for them to come back tomorrow and try to have a better day than today,” Reifer said.

Though Jomel Warrican picked both wickets on the day, Jayden Seales impressed in the morning session as he extracted seam movement. He drew lunging drives from Jaiswal and forced a few misses early on.

However, his intensity waned as the day progressed and the batters grew into the game. Despite the early help, he went wicketless and conceded 57 runs in 16 overs.

Reifer said that shouldering the burden of the pace attack, which is missing its senior player, Alzarri Joseph, will offer a steep learning curve for Seales on this tour.

“This is Jayden’s first time playing in India. I thought he bowled well. He bowled very good lines and lengths. Obviously, losing Alzarri and Shamar is a big miss for us in terms of the synergy at the top. But I’m sure that he’ll learn a lot playing in India. Obviously, bowling on flatter wickets, the important thing is to be as consistent as possible,” Reifer said.

Published on Oct 10, 2025