Sudhakar Rao grew up in Basavanagudi and studied at the National School. He stayed close to the ground near his school and would play cricket with tennis ball regularly. The sports secretary of the school, Swamy, saw Sudhakar bat during one of the sessions. Sudhakar was immediately selected in the school team and ordered to play against a rival school. It was the first time Sudhakar was playing on a matting wicket and handling a cricket ball. He made the occasion memorable by scoring a hundred.