Gujarat Titans (GT) opener Sai Sudharsan, who is second in the race for the Orange Cap at IPL 2025, said prioritising the team's needs and performance over individual achievements is crucial for success.
Ahead of his side's key fixture against Mumbai Indians (MI), the stylish southpaw, who has aggregated 504 runs in 10 matches so far, noted that individual milestones like Orange Cap can sometimes lead to a perceived decrease in a player's aggressive approach, potentially hindering the team's performance.
MI and GT, who have 14 points each, are currently sitting third and fourth on the points table respectively. They will be looking to register a big win to claim the top spot topping Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) when they square off at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Sai, who has made 504 runs at an average of 50.40 with an impressive strike rate of over 154, needs just two runs to overtake senior statesman Virat Kohli in the run-getters' charts.
Speaking on JioHotstar's 'Gen Bold' programme, Sai put his priorities in the right order. "Getting runs, being more impactful, and doing it at a very good strike rate -- that's where the responsibility kicks in for the team. If you are consistent enough to make your team cross the line, that's the most important thing. And the Orange Cap is a byproduct. If you keep thinking about the Orange Cap, I feel your potential invariably goes down. You restrict yourself a bit more because personal milestones come in front of team's priorities."
The 23-year-old Tamil Nadu player said that the franchise has showed faith in him since his joined them in 2022, which has given him a sense of belonging and hence, a responsibility to do well.
"Having a sense of belonging is the most important thing and I think it has has helped me a lot to express myself at GT," he added.
Sai has been prolific with the bat since his IPL debut in 2022, tallying 1,538 runs in 35 matches at an average of 48.06 and strike rate of over 143. He has a century and 11 fifties under his best with the best score being 103.
Terming Shubman Gill, his skipper at GT, a "competitive captain" he said Gill is somebody who understands his players' needs.
"If I have difficulty in the nets or difficulty facing somebody, I will have a conversation with him on what he feels I can do better. I have grown a lot because of him and by watching him play. Mentally, he's a very competitive captain. And I feel he understands what the player needs. He is somebody who makes it comfortable for struggling players. We have too many on-field memories to count, and I hope this season will give us more good memories to cherish," he added.
Taking a trip down the memory lane, Sai reflected on his memorable 96-run knock against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final of the IPL 2023, saying that it was the most dramatic game he has ever experienced. Defending champions GT lost the thriller at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad by five wickets (DLS method) as CSK clinched their fifth IPL title.
"I was retired out in the previous qualifier game, so there were a lot of mixed emotions, and those emotions and that experience taught me a lot. And that was why i could do well in the final. The way I approached that game was a bit different. There was a sense of freedom as well as a sense of motivation or a rage to make a big difference," he added.
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