“Sai Suduarsharsan comenzando a …”

Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa heaped praise on young Sai Sudharsan following his valiant effort in the Eliminator. MI managed to survive the GT opener’s carnage as they defeated GT by 20 runs to book their berth in Qualifier 2. The Tamil Nadu batter is currently the Orange Cap holder in IPL 2025, with 759 runs to his name.

“Pressure is on everyone else”

Speaking on JioHotstar, Uthappa pointed out that when batters like Dhoni, Rohit and Kohli are at the crease, then the pressure was on everyone else. He clamed that Sai Sudharsan too was starting to reach that level. Uthappa applauded Sharma’s calculated approach after he was dropped early in the innings, noting that his composure stood out.

“When players like Rohit, Dhoni, or Kohli are at the crease, the pressure is on everyone else. Sai Sudharsan is starting to reach that level too,” Uthappa said.

“Turning point”

Former RCB star Ab de Villiers dubbed Sudharsan’s dismissal as the turning point of the match. The GT opener was cleaned up by Richard Gleeson in the 16th over. Sudharsan was looking to snatch the game away from MI before he was dismissed for 80 runs off 49 deliveries.

“A key turning point was Sai Sudharsan’s dismissal. He’d nailed that shot all season, but it didn’t come off when it mattered most. Everything seemed to go wrong for GT – dropped catches, hit wickets, chaotic moments – yet they still made it a contest,” de Villers said.

What happened in GT vs MI, Eliminator?

Chasing a massive 229-run target, GT faltered with Shubman Gill falling in the first over. But Sudharsan (80 off 49) kept their hopes alive with a 64-run stand with Kusal Mendis and then an 84-run stand with Washington Sundar. But after he fell, GT lost their way. Jasprit Bumrah bowled an excellent tidy spell of 1/27 to turn things around for MI.