IPL | Sai Sudharsan waxes eloquent on teammate Sai Kishore

R. Sai Kishore shines with smart bowling, crucial wickets, and tactical advantage, proving his worth for Gujarat Titans.

It is not often that Rashid Khan is the bowler with the worst figures and yet his team wins at a canter. But Wednesday was one such occasion when Gujarat Titans, despite Rashid conceding 54 runs from four overs, thrashed Royal Challengers Bengaluru by eight wickets.

Chief among the reasons — apart from Player of the Match Mohammed Siraj’s blistering opening spell — was left-arm spinner R. Sai Kishore’s performance (4-0-22-2).

The Tamil Nadu bowler accounted for Jitesh Sharma, who looked set to stage a remarkable rescue act after an RCB top-order collapse, and then caught and bowled Krunal Pandya for a measly five.

Krunal’s wicket was courtesy his own version of the carrom ball, a feat that would have made his statemate R. Ashwin proud. Coming as it did just days after he stared down Krunal’s more illustrious brother Hardik, it was a firm indicator of Sai Kishore’s confidence.

“I feel it was the most important spell because the wicket was very difficult to bat against fast bowlers, and batters, including me, were trying to maximise what we get out of the spinners,” said Sai Sudharsan, his teammate at both Titans and Tamil Nadu. “He was smart enough and used the right speeds and right angles. That’s why he had a great game.”

Sai Kishore has been with the Titans since inception, but he has played just 13 matches, including none in 2023. But going by this season’s efforts — even in the contest where Punjab Kings scored 243, he returned figures of 4-0-30-3 — he should play a lot more.

“Off the field, the amount of effort he puts, the amount of preparation he does in terms of [gaining] tactical advantages... I feel that is taking him a bit ahead of other bowlers,” opined Sai Sudharsan.  “He understands the game, the situations and uses his speeds and angles [well]. That’s why he is bowling the way he is.”