Sai Sudharsan Recalls What He Told Virat Kohli After RCB’s Maiden Title Triumph

Young Indian opener Sai Sudharsan recalled his conversation with Virat Kohli following RCB's 2025 IPL victory, stating that he congratulated him.

Sai Sudharsan Recalls What He Told Virat Kohli After RCB’s Maiden Title Triumph

Sai Sudharsan recalled his conversation with Virat Kohli, following the latter's IPL victory. (via India Today)

Gujarat Titans opener Sai Sudharsan, set to make his Test debut for India, recently spoke about the conversation that he had with Virat Kohli, following Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s 2025 IPL triumph. The 23-year-old recalled that he congratulated Kohli, after their historic IPL win. 

The Indian team is all set to face off against England, in a five-match Test series away from home, that marks the beginning of the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle. It also marks a new era for the Indian red-ball side, which will be without the services of two of the team’s best batters, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who recently announced their retirement from the longest format. 

Following Kohli and Sharma’s exit, the Indian selectors went forward with the appointment of a new Test captain. 25-year-old Shubman Gill has now been named skipper, and will lead a rather inexperienced side for his first assignment in England. Gill’s elevation has left many surprised, owing to the his minimal experience of having captained a Test team in the past as well as his average form in 32 Tests for India.

The Indian team, set to face England this month, also features several new uncapped talents, with one of them being Tamil Nadu batter Sai Sudharsan. The 23-year-old left handed opener comes off the back of a brilliant 2025 IPL season with Gujarat Titans, where he ended as the tournament’s highest run-getter with 759 runs at an average of 54.21, hitting six half-centuries and a hundred.

In an interview with Times of India, Sai Sudharsan shared his admiration for former Test captain Virat Kohli and his approach and dedication towards the game. He even recalled the conversation that he had with Kohli, following RCB’s IPL final win in Ahmedabad. Sudharsan stated that he congratulated Kohli, as it was a special moment for the 36-year-old RCB star to win the trophy after a long wait of 18 years. He said:

I congratulated him [Virat Kohli] after the final as it was a really special moment for him. But we’ve had many conversations over the years.

Furthermore, he was also reminded of the discussions that he had with Kohli in the past, which included them talking about the ways to handle a situation when a batter fails to score runs. The GT batter also took note of Kohli’s winning mindset, and the obsession that he has for performing well in the game. Sudharsan is expected to make his Test debut for India this month.

What I’ve always admired about him [Kohli] is his mentality and the dedication he has for the game. We’ve talked about how he handled the situation when he wasn’t scoring runs.

Moreover, he does brings with himself the experience of having played in the harsh English conditions before, as he represented Surrey in the 2023-24 County Cricket Championship. Sudharsan has shown promise in domestic cricket as well, scoring 1,957 runs in 29 first-class matches till now, hitting seven hundreds and five fifties.

Ex-Australian skipper Michael Clarke urges India to bat Sai Sudharsan at no. 3 for England tour

Former Australian World Cup winning captain Michael Clarke expressed confidence in the abilities of young opener Sai Sudharsan, and urged India to bat him at no.3 during the upcoming England Test tour. He is among the three uncapped players, set to make their Test debuts for India. 

Michael Clarke on Sai Sudharsan
Ex-Australian skipper Michael Clarke backed Sai Sudharsan to bat at number 3, in the Indian Test lineup. (via Telegraph)

Michael Clarke, speaking on his Beyond 23 Cricket podcast, suggested that Sai Sudharsan be given the number 3 spot, owing to his technical abilities, as well as his shot selection which essentially prove that he is ready to make a name at the biggest stage. Clarke referred to Sudharsan as a superstar, while predicting that the 23-year-old could open the batting in ODIs and T20Is for India, in the future:

To me, this kid is a superstar, Sai Sudharsan…I think he can walk in straight to bat at number three. I think technically he’s very good, he’s got all the shots and mentally, he’s ready.

Apart from Sai Sudharsan, the two other players who will be awaiting to make their Test debuts are left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh and domestic veteran Abhimanyu Easwaran. The England tour also marks the return of experienced 33-year-old batter Karun Nair, after eight years.