"Had to drag him out of nets": Parthiv not "surprised" with Sudharsan's consistency; picks best spinner of IPL 2025

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], April 10 : Gujarat Titans assistant coach Parthiv Patel isn't "surprised" to see Sai Sudharsan relishing in his purple patch in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, considering the hard yards the 23-year-old opener put in during the nets sessions.
Sudharsan has been on a run-scoring spree in the 18th edition of the cash-rich league. He has emerged as a genuine threat and prospect to challenge the rest of the batters, who dream of ending the tournament as the highest run-getter and walking away with the Orange Cap.
He perfectly played the anchor's role for the Titans during their commanding 58-run victory over the Rajasthan Royals. It wasn't a typical explosive performance that has become the norm of the present era of T20 cricket, considering how mercilessly Nicholas Pooran muscles the ball away past the boundary rope.
The young southpaw is hot on the heels of Pooran, who sits at the summit of the leading run-scorers with a tally of 288. Sudharsan stands just 16 runs away from ending Pooran's era of dominance.
Sudharsan maintained his composure and struck 82 from 53 deliveries against the Royals, laced with eight boundaries and three towering maximums, while retaining a healthy strike rate of 154.72.
For Parthiv, Sudharsan's recent form doesn't come as much of a surprise. During the build-up to the IPL, the young southpaw engaged in high-intensity net sessions, sometimes resulting in Sudharsan being dragged out of the practice zone.
"I think, having seen him in the last month or so, he works really hard. I'm not surprised at all that he is getting these kinds of results. There were times when we had to drag him out of the nets. He keeps it simple. In this era, it is easy to get carried away; you have to hit so many sixes, or you have to play at a certain strike rate. But he understands his game, and he backs that. That is why you see consistent performances from him," Parthiv told reporters in the post-match press conference.
Sudharsan's 82-run blitzkrieg, coupled with handy contributions towards the end, lifted GT to a daunting 217/6. The stage was set for the Titans' bowling unit to enchant the spectators with their magic.
Prashidh Krishna (3/24) effortlessly tested the speed gun by clocking 145 kph every now and then. GT's ace in the hole, Rashid Khan (2/37), returned to wicket-taking ways, and Sai Kishore continued his prolific form with the ball and cleaned up the tail end to put the final nail in the coffin of RR's pursuit of 218.
Despite the presence of a quality spinner in Rashid and other ball tweakers across different franchises, Parthiv sees Sai Kishore as the best spinner so far in the tournament.
"Siraj is bowling well, and Prasidh Krishna has been phenomenal throughout the tournament. Sai Kishore is probably the best spinner so far in this tournament. The way he is bowling and how brave he is. Every game, you see a different bowler stepping up, and that's what bowlers win you the game," he added.
While Chennai Super Kings' left-arm wrist spinner has dazzled with the ball so far in the tournament, Kishore has silently formulated a way to be effective with his skillsets. Kishore boasts 10 scalps from five matches and stands just one scalp away from levelling Noor's tally of 11.