Sai Sudharsan's repeated hit-wicket dismissals irk Virender Sehwag: ‘He is not learning from mistakes’

Meanwhile, Virender Sehwag could not resist having a light-hearted dig at Sudharsan's unusual run of dismissals.

Gujarat Titans opener Sai Sudharsan has found himself in the spotlight for an unusual reason after being dismissed hit-wicket in successive matches. The left-hander's bat slipping from his hands during his strokeplay has become an unexpected talking point, particularly given the timing of the dismissals in crucial playoff games. Sudharsan has enjoyed another outstanding IPL season and remains firmly in the race for the Orange Cap. However, his last two innings have attracted attention for reasons beyond the runs he scored. In the Eliminator against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, he looked in good touch during the daunting 255-run chase before an unfortunate hit-wicket dismissal halted his momentum and dented Gujarat's hopes.

Sai Sudharsan got dismissed hit-wicket twice in back-to-back matches. (AFP)

A similar incident occurred against Rajasthan Royals. This time, Sudharsan had already made a significant impact, scoring 58 and helping lay the foundation for the chase alongside captain Shubman Gill. While the dismissal did little to affect the result, the repeat occurrence has sparked discussion, with the unusual mode of dismissal becoming an unexpected subplot to an otherwise excellent campaign.

Former India opener Virender Sehwag could not resist having a light-hearted dig at Sudharsan's unusual run of dismissals. Commenting on the Gujarat Titans batter being hit-wicket in consecutive matches after losing grip of his bat, Sehwag joked that Sudharsan might need to find a way to keep the bat firmly in his hands, while also expressing surprise that the same mistake had been repeated in back-to-back games.

"They will have to bring glue now during the strategic time out. He needs to apply that on his gloves, so that the bat never leaves his grasp. How are you doing this back to back? We say that players should learn from their mistakes, but he is not learning. I have never been hit-wicket in my entire career," Virender Sehwag said on Cricbuzz.

“No one among us predicted that GT would reach final”

Praising Gujarat Titans' impressive campaign, Sehwag admitted that few had backed the franchise to make a deep run this season. He credited their top-order batters for playing positive yet low-risk cricket, particularly in the powerplay, and said their ability to score freely without appearing reckless had been one of the key reasons behind the team's success.

"No one among us predicted that GT would reach the finals or the playoffs this year. We were all saying they only have the top three and all that. When you play shots like these, there is no pressure because you are not taking a risk, and you are getting the runs you need. It never seemed as if they are forcing things in the powerplay," Sehwag remarked.