Sai Sudharsan gathering info before the tour down under

B. Sai Sudharsan said on Wednesday that the National selectors had asked him to play in the Ranji Trophy as part of his preparation for India’s upcoming tour of New Zealand.

Having been on India-A duty in Puducherry, he arrived here “at 10.40 p.m.” on the eve of Tamil Nadu’s Ranji Trophy opener against Rajasthan (October 10).

“There was a day’s break between games in Puducherry. On that day (October 10), our manager told me that the selectors had asked me to play the Ranji Trophy.

“After the first day’s play here, I spoke with Pragyan Ojha (interim chief National selector). He said it would be good for the upcoming New Zealand series — for preparation and all. That was the clarity from their side.”

He has been “watching a lot of old videos” of India’s Tests in New Zealand to understand the conditions and how best to bat there.

“I have gathered a little information. It will be a bit windy, and there will be good bounce. It will be almost similar to England, but there will be a bit more lateral movement.

“Sachin paaji has scored there, so I watched his batting. I watched Dravid sir’s batting. I try to grab knowledge from that and execute whatever is possible for me,” he said.

On missing the Test series in Sri Lanka because of a toe stress fracture, the 24-year-old said: “I wasn’t disappointed because I believe everything good is ahead of us. The last few injuries have been freakish, but because of them, I’ve probably gotten better with my habits and have a better understanding of how to take care of my body... how much I bat and things like that”.