[Watch] Sai Sudharsan falls heartbreakingly short of 100 as Matheesha Pathirana traps him LBW in IPL 2023 final

Gujarat Titans (GT) batter Sai Sudharsan was dismissed by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bowler Matheesha Pathirana after an incredible knock of 96 from 47 deliveries in the IPL 2023 final.

Sudharsan came in after the dismissal of Shubman Gill with GT motoring along at 67-1. The southpaw ensured to continue the momentum with his sublime batting display.

Sudharsan smashed eight boundaries and six maximums and propeled Gujarat to a massive total of 214/4 in their 20 overs.

After being smoked for consecutive sixes of the first two balls of the final over, Matheesha Pathirana came back superbly to dismiss Sai Sudharsan. Pathirana dismissed the left-hander with his customary full delivery tailing in to catch the left-hander plumb in front.

Here is a video of the dismissal:

Despite missing out on a few games, Sai Sudharsan has had an incredible season for the Titans, scoring 362 runs at an average of 51.71 and a strike rate of 141.41.

Sudharsan scored a defiant 31-ball 43 in Qualifier 2 against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the same venue. The talented youngster continued in the same vein on the biggest stage of the tournament, recording the third-highest score in an IPL final.

Earlier in the innings, Deepak Chahar fluffed an easy catch of Shubman Gill off the bowling of Tushar Deshpande in the second over the innings that set the tone for a dismal fielding and bowling performance by the four-time champions.

The drop proved costly as the Titans raced to 67-0 in the powerplay to have MS Dhoni and his men playing catch up for the rest of the innings.

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"In the next few years, Sai Sudharsan will be a key player for Team India" - Rashid Khan hails GT teammate

Gujarat Titans star bowler Rashid Khan showered praise on the 21-year-old Sai Sudharsan in a recent interview ahead of Qualifier 2 against the Mumbai Indians.

Sudharsan, who has scored over 500 runs for GT in 13 games since joining the squad last year, has played a vital role in the team's success over the past two seasons.

Speaking in the Gujarat Titans weekly podcast, Rashid Khan said:

"Sai Sudharsan is an unbelievable player! He’s going to be a very, very handy player, not just for Gujarat Titans, but for Team India in the future."

"According to me, whatever I have seen of him, it’s not just the way he’s played this year, even last year from Day 1, from the time we first saw him in the nets, the way he’s batting, the way he’s batting, his mindset his preparation, his hard work, he is different," he added. In the next few years, Sai Sudharsan will be a key player for Team India."

Batting at No.3, Sudharsan has impressed with his ability to play an anchor role and accelerate, evidenced by his contrasting knocks in Qualifier 2 and the final.

Gujarat will look to become only the second team after the Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians (MI) to win back-to-back IPL titles.