In the next few years, Sai Sudharsan will be a key player for India: Rashid Khan

Gujarat Titans (GT) and Afghanistan all-rounder Rashid Khan feels fellow teammate Sai Sudharsan will be a key player for team India in the future. The defending champions GT and Mumbai Indians (MI) squared off in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 Qualifier 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, May 26.

The Afghan all-rounder was full of praise for Sudharsan, calling him an unbelievable player. He also said that the 21-year-old would be a highly important player, not just for the Titans, but for team India in the future. He also heaped praise on his preparation, mindset, and diligent effort in the nets. 

"Sai Sudharsan is an unbelievable player! He's going to be a very, very handy player, not just for Gujarat Titans, but for Team India in the future," Rashid Khan said in Gujarat Titans weekly podcast.

"According to me, whatever I have seen of him, it's not just the way he's played this year, even last year from Day 1, from the time we first saw him in the nets, the way he's batting, the way he's batting, his mindset his preparation, his hard work, he is different. In the next few years, Sai Sudharsan will be a key player for Team India," he added.

The talented youngster performed admirably with the bat for the defending champions. The 21-year-old amassed 266 runs in seven innings, including two half-centuries in the ongoing season so far. During Qualifier 2 of IPL 2023, he scored 43 off 31 deliveries before he retired out. 

Speaking about Qualifier 2, MI skipper Rohit Sharma invited GT to bat first after winning the toss. Opener Shubman Gill scored his third hundred of the season as GT posted a mammoth 233 in 20 overs. The young opener smashed 129 off 60 balls, including seven boundaries and ten maximums. Meanwhile, Piyush Chawla and Akash Madhwal secured one wicket each for the five-time champions.