India vs West Indies: Assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate backs Sai Sudharsan amid scrutiny

The Indian assistant coach has backed the struggling batter to find his feet soon

New Delhi: In a largely happy Indian team that checked almost all boxes in the thumping win over the West Indies in the opening Test, the only person under some pressure is Sai Sudharsan.

The talented 23-year-old southpaw, backed as the new No. 3, once again fluffed the lines in Ahmedabad, getting out for a 19-ball 7. It was the Tamil Nadu batter’s fourth failure in as many Tests.

Barring the 61 he made in his second Test against England at Old Trafford, Tamil Nadu batter's other scores are 0, 30, 0, 38 and 11. That the spotlight is on him, especially after Dhruv Jurel scored a maiden ton in Ahmedabad, and the presence of Devdutt Padikkal — Sudharsan’s like-for-like choice — in the squad was evident during Wednesday’s training session as the southpaw appeared lacking confidence at times. He played and missed a few deliveries, mistimed the ball on many occasions and even had his stumps uprooted by Mohammed Siraj.

For the second Test at the Feroz Shah Kotla, starting on Friday, Sudharsan’s spot is seemingly safe. But with the South Africa series beckoning next month, there’s no doubt he needs to make a big score considering the competition for places, and the fact that the Proteas are the current World Test Championship title holders. India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate reckoned Sudharsan is aware of the false start to his Test career but backed him to come good.

“I think he's under no illusion, and you can't hide away from the fact that you do fight for a spot in this environment,” said Doeschate at the press conference on Wednesday. “You saw Karun Nair get four Test matches in England. There are a lot of good players fighting up the hill, so whoever has a position on that spot, Sai just needs to focus on believing in himself. We've obviously got a lot of belief in him to give that number three spot. 

“He's playing pretty nicely, probably a tactical mistake the other day, which he'll be aware of playing back to one early in the innings. We just want him to know that we know he's good enough, and now he has to find a better spot rather than showing the rest of the country and the rest of the team that he's good enough to hold that spot. There's certainly no panic or worry, particularly in a winning team. I'm sure he does feel like he's got our backing, like he's got the captain's backing and the coach's and staff's backing. I feel he'll deliver on his promise.”

When asked if Jurel’s good form will put additional pressure on Sudharsan once regular wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant returns from his foot fracture, Doeschate said the youngster is aware of it.

“I imagine it does. I think Dhruv’s showed last week what a good player he is. In addition to that, there are other good players who are fighting for the No. 3 spot. Sai is aware of that. I don’t think you pursue a career in cricket in India without expecting competition and the media clawing at you. It’s part and parcel of life.”