'I have spoken with him regarding those' - Sai Sudharsan reveals conversation with Virat Kohli ahead of England Tests

India have announced an 18-member squad for the upcoming five-match Test series against England with some young and talented players in the mix. One such up-and-coming talent is Sai Sudharsan, who has impressed with his performances in domestic and franchise tournaments. The left-handed batter recently opened up on the conversations he has had with Undia stalwart Virat Kohli.

Notably, India will not have Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in England as both of them have announced their retirement from the longest format of the game. Sudharsan mentioned that the recent conversation he had with Kohli was after the IPL 2025 final at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium. Sudharsan stated that he congratulated the legendary batter after RCB's historic IPL title win as they defeated Punjab Kings by six runs in a thrilling final. The 23-year-old further stated that most of the conversations with Kohli revolve around handling himself and scoring runs under pressure.

“I just congratulated him after the final, it was a very special moment for him. But I've had a lot of conversations in previous years. What I've always admired about him is his mindset — the obsession that he has for the sport. I have spoken with him regarding those and how he dealt with situations when he was not getting a lot of runs and finding it difficult. I think, as a cricketer, those are the times that you learn most, so I had conversations about that,” Sudharsan was quoted as saying by Times Of India.

Sudharsan opens up on his learnings from Shubman Gill

Meanwhile, the Indian Test team will now be led by Shubman Gill, who will be making his debut as India’s red-ball skipper with the England tour. Sudharsan has played a couple of IPL seasons under Gill’s leadership at the Gujarat Titans (GT). Both Sudharsan and Gill were amongst the runs in the IPL, and the yougnster revealed his learning from the Punjab batter.

“The biggest thing is the mindset, self-belief, the trust that he has in his ability. I've seen how he manages himself when he's not getting runs — that understanding of the game and life to maintain consistency. Then there are technical discussions as well, which are also helpful,” the IPL 2025 orange cap winner stated.