Sai Sudharsan auditions for Australia tour with double hundred in Ranji Trophy

Ranji Trophy 2024: Sai Sudharsan hit an unbeaten 202, continuing his purple patch in red-ball cricket. The left-handed opener's double helped Tamil Nadu dominate Delhi at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

In Short

• Sai Sudharsan hit a double hundred for Tamil Nadu against Delhi in New Delhi
• Sudharsan has been in fine form in red-ball cricket in 2024
• India will tour Australia for a five-match Test series in November-January

Tamil Nadu's Sai Sudharsan continued to push his case for the role of a back-up opener for India's tour of Australia. The left-handed batter hit a double hundred in just 259 deliveries against a strong Delhi side in their second round of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season. Sudharsan lit up the stage at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, helping Tamil Nadu post 379 for 1 on Day 1 of the contest.

Sai Sudharsan was at his free-flowing best as he hit 23 boundaries and a six to bring up his highest score in first-class cricket.

Sudharsan had support from captain Narayan Jagadeesan, who hit 65, and Washington Sundar, who was unbeaten on 96 at Stumps on Day 1.

Sai Sudharsan and N Jagadeesan stitched a 168-run opening stand to put the pressure back on the Delhi bowlers. After Navdeep Saini got the wicket of Jagadeesan, Sai and Washington added an unbeaten 211-run stand for the second wicket.

Score: Tamil Nadu 379 for 1 (Sai Sudharsan 202*, N Jagadeesan 68, Washington Sundar 96*) vs Delhi on Day 1.

Sai Sudharsan's form at the top of the order has been crucial to Tamil Nadu's strong start to the Ranji Trophy season. In their innings win over Saurashtra in Coimbatore last week, Sai hit a gutsy 82 on a difficult pitch to support captain Jagadeesan's hundred.

Sai's purple patch at the top of the order in red-ball cricket comes at the right time as India are looking to rope in a back-up opener for their tour of Australia, starting November 22. Abhimanyu Easwaran is another strong contender for the role.

SUDHARSAN PILES UP THE RUNS

His stint with Surrey in the English County Championship was marked by a standout century against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge. Sudharsan scored 105 runs, including 10 fours and a six, facing 176 balls..

Prior to his County Championship appearances, Sudharsan had a strong showing for India A against England Lions, where he scored 221 runs in four innings. This performance, along with his 572-run season in the Ranji Trophy 2022-23, which included two centuries, has kept him in contention for a Test debut.

In the Duleep Trophy 2024, Sudharsan represented Team C under Ruturaj Gaikwad. Although his returns in the first two games were modest, scoring 7 and 22 in the opening round and 43 in the second round, he hit a 111 in the third round against India C.

In addition to his red-ball achievements, Sudharsan has been highly successful in the Indian Premier League (IPL). In IPL 2023, he played eight matches and scored 362 runs at an average of 51.71. His performance in IPL 2024 was even more impressive, where he scored 527 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 141.28. Notably, he became the fastest Indian to complete 1000 runs in the IPL