"It was a matter of courage" - Washington Sundar's father disappointed with India tailenders
Washington Sundar's father is a hard man to please. He was left disappointed as the tailenders didn't hang around to help his son get to a well-deserved maiden hundred in the fourth Test against England in Ahmedabad.
Washington Sundar was left stranded on 96* on day three of the fourth Test with India losing their last three wickets in a span of five balls. Nevertheless, the hosts went on to register a comfortable win by an innings and 25 runs, clinching the series by 3-1.
Speaking to IANS, M.Sundar, Washington's father, was critical of the tailenders' performance and said:
"What I am really disappointed about are the tailenders. They couldn’t stay on for even a brief while. Suppose India were playing, needing 10 runs to win, wouldn’t this have been a huge mistake. There are millions of youngsters watching; they shouldn’t learn what the tail-enders did. It is not about technique or skills. It was a matter of courage. England were tired; Stokes was bowling at 123-126. They were not bowling at lethal pace.”
This is not the first time that M Sundar has been dismayed, even though Team India registered a comprehensive win. After the historic victory at the Gabba over Australia, Washington's father was disappointed his son couldn't get to a hundred on debut after playing a well-made 62-run knock in the first innings.
"He is a batsman who can bowl"- Ravichandran Ashwin on Washington Sundar
The general consensus among most fans was that Washington Sundar is a bowling all-rounder given his exploits with the ball in white-ball cricket and the IPL. However, Ravichandran Ashwin is not surprised by Sundar's batting prowess and added that he has always been a batsman who can bowl.
"It is quite surprising (to see people bracketing him as a bowler). Washy (Washington Sundar) bowled in some of the IPL matches this season. He shot to fame because of his bowling in the powerplay. Quite surprising that people don’t recognise that he is a batsman who can bowl," Ashwin said after the series win over England.
The 21-year-old managed two fifties in the series against England, amassing 181 runs at an average of 90.50. On the bowling front, the off-spinner could only manage two wickets in the series as Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin did the bulk of the damage.