WATCH - Batting Coach Sitanshu Kotak Gives Sai Sudharsan Stern Talk

WATCH - Batting Coach Sitanshu Kotak Gives Sai Sudharsan Stern Talk After Missing Century VS WI

India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak was seen in an animated discussion with Sai Sudharsan.

India's batting coach Sitanshu Kotak was seen in an animated discussion with Sai Sudharsan after the young batter narrowly missed out on a well-deserved century on Day 1 of the second Test against West Indies, which began on October 10. The 23-year-old Tamil Nadu batsman had been under considerable scrutiny heading into this match, having struggled to justify the faith shown in him by the Gautam Gambhir-led team management during his first four Test appearances. In the first Test at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, he managed just seven runs despite favorable conditions.

However, Day 1 of the second Test presented a better opportunity, and Sudharsan made the most of it. He played a determined innings, reaching a fifty off 87 balls and contributing valuable runs for India.

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Kotak's Animated Reaction

Sudharsan's innings ended on the third ball of the 69th over when spinner Jomel Warrican bowled a sharp delivery that beat his inside edge and struck his back leg. After a successful review confirmed the ball would have hit the stumps, Sudharsan was left with no option but to walk back to the pavilion for 87 off 165 balls, including 12 boundaries.

Following his dismissal, Kotak was seen giving Sudharsan a detailed dressing-down on the balcony, pointing out the mistake that led to his dismissal.

Sudharsan Reflects on His Knock

After Day 1, Sudharsan explained his mindset during the innings:
"It was a good contribution, good partnership between me and Jaiswal. Hopefully, we'll have longer partnerships and get a big score. Definitely, I wasn't thinking about getting runs, so I was a bit more free, expressed myself, took time rather than rushing things. I didn't try to make things happen. Grateful for whatever I've done, but there's always something in the mind to make a lot more, happy with the runs, but would want to make more. Exciting to watch him bat from the other end, he converts good balls into boundary balls, that's so good to see."

pic.twitter.com/98vmURHJnH — Drizzyat12Kennyat8 (@45kennyat7PM) October 10, 2025

India finished Day 1 in a strong position at 318/2, courtesy of Yashasvi Jaiswal's unbeaten 173, with Sudharsan's 87 providing vital support in a promising start to the match.

Team Backs Him

Earlier, in a press conference, former international player and India's batting mentor, Ryan ten Doeschate, spoke about Sudharsan's role in the top order. While teammate Nitish Rana continues to find his footing as an all-rounder, Sai has been backed to cement his position at No. 3 after a mixed start to his Test career.

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," ten Doeschate said of Sai. "You saw Karun Nair get four Test matches in England. There are a lot of good players about to get on the heels of whoever has possession of that spot. So, Sai just needs to focus on believing in himself. We've obviously got a lot of belief in him to give him that number three spot. He's playing pretty nicely. Probably a tactical mistake the other day, which you'll be aware of, playing back to a ball so early in the innings.

With guidance from coaches like Kotak and mentors like ten Doeschate, Sudharsan has the backing to solidify his spot and become a key figure in India's middle order in the ongoing Test series.

Source: ZeeNews
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