CHENNAI: With his batting and bowling prowess, the tall, lanky and shy 21-year-old Washington Sundar from Chennai, grabbed eyeballs on the Australian pitch. A man of few words, Washington relies on his abundant talent to speak for itself. He made his Test debut for India at Brisbane where his contributions with both the bat and ball played a key role in the visitors winning the deciding fourth Test and the series 2-1 to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
And his coach and father, Sundar, and other cricket bigwigs of the state cannot stop singing his praises. “Washington is a smart and intelligent cricketer. He knows what is required of him and plays accordingly. He bowls tight spells and takes a wicket here and there, certainly a utility man for the Indian team. In Tests too, he proved his mettle,” said D Vasu, chief coach of Tamil Nadu team.
The Brisbane Test will be remembered in the annals of Tamil Nadu cricket as two of its cricketers — T Natarajan and Washington Sundar — who went as net bowlers to Australia played a stellar role in India’s triumph Down Under. Both left straight from the Indian Premier League held in the UAE to Australia. At a time when no one expected them to get a chance in the red-ball cricket — as the team was packed with experienced players — and Australia fielding a full-fledged squad, injuries of six players gave both Natarajan and Washington an opportunity to make a mark.
Washington’s father Sundar was ecstatic after India’s creditable series win and thanked the Almighty that his son was part of it. “It was a great win; winning a series in Australia is not easy. When many players were not playing due to injury, the team fought well; improved the quality of their game to register a historic win. I am glad my son was part of it,’’ said Sundar on the sidelines of a felicitation function held for Washington on Monday.
Washington surprised many with his batting in the first innings of the fourth Test where he scored a crucial 62 and put on a 123-run partnership with pacer Shardul Thakur down the order. Although he began his career as a top-order batsman for his state, Washington has been used an off-spinner in white-ball cricket for India. “He (Washington) enjoys both bowling and batting. He practices both regularly. He has not had that many opportunities to prove his worth as a batsman. I was not surprised by his performance. I am sure from now on he will hopefully get more opportunities to bat as well,’’ said an optimistic Sundar.
Another important facet of Washington’s game is maturity beyond age. “Washington is mentally very strong. He is focused on his game and works regularly on his skill set. He never gets distracted and performs the role allotted to him. This is the reason for his success at the highest level,” Sundar pointed out. With the England team landing in Chennai on Wednesday for the upcoming series that begins on February 5 in Chennai, Washington is busy preparing, and he believes that India would carry forward the momentum of the good show in Australia.
As part of the series, India will play two Tests in Chennai and two in Ahmedabad in a bio-secure bubble. “I am looking forward to the series. It will be my first series in India. It is against a quality side and it will be exciting. It will be great if I get to play at the Chepauk Stadium, which is very close to my heart,” signed off Washington.