Sudharsan played a composed knock of 81 on the opening day of the one-off Test against Afghanistan.
Gambhir had publicly dismissed judging the southpaw on just six matches, confirming his role at No. 3 and guaranteeing him an extended run.
Gambhir’s public vote of confidence removed tactical pressure, allowing Sudharsan to dictate the scoreboard alongside KL Rahul during a crucial 139-run stand.
Speaking to the media at the close of play, Sudharsan acknowledged the trust shown by the coach, captain and team management removed doubts about selection and allowed him to focus solely on contributing to the side.
"I mean, it gives so much freedom. It gives so much certainty mentally that when the coach, the team, and the captain support you, back you, and want you to do well for the country. They want you to do well for the team and win games. It is such an honour at the first place," Sudharsan told reporters.
"Obviously, it gives a lot of freedom for you to express yourself and do what you can do at your best, rather than thinking about 'will I play the next game or not?' or whatever thought of that sort. That never arises because you've got great freedom from the team. I think it's a pleasure," he added.
Reflecting on his partnership with Rahul, Sudharsan said the discussions with Rahul were centred on understanding the conditions and staying one step ahead of the bowlers rather than determining who would take charge of the scoring.
"The conversation was more about understanding what was happening, understanding how the wicket was behaving, and who was bowling what. With KL bhai, you know, he gives so much composure. When I bat with him, he gives so much certainty. It helps as a batter, and he sees the game very well, so he gives a lot of useful cues which we would use in the game," he stated.
Sudharsan also highlighted India's aggressive shift in spin-playing strategy following their batting failures against South Africa on home soil last year. Instead of just defending and soaking up pressure, the team focused on proactive batting—using sweeping and disrupting bowlers to score runs, which constantly ticks the scoreboard and shifts pressure back to the opposition.
"I think the biggest conversation was around how well we can play spin, how well we can understand the conditions, and score runs out of it rather than just looking to play time. Personally, for me, mentally it was more about believing and trusting my abilities and what I can do as a batsman.
"And tactically, we were having a lot of conversations around what we can do to disturb the bowler, what options can we take so that we keep on ticking the scoreboard where the pressure is always there, rather than just soaking up and playing time," he remarked.
According to Sudharsan, the surface could become increasingly challenging for batters over the next few days.
"I feel it can start spinning regularly in the coming days and it can get a bit slower as well. Slower and lower as well, is what I feel the way it's behaving now," he concluded.