Three reasons why Washington Sundar is the next big thing in Indian cricket
Though India lost the first T20I against New Zealand, Washington Sundar emerged as one of the positives from the match. He was India's best player in all departments, picking up 2/21 in his four overs and scoring his maiden T20I fifty off only 25 balls, helping reduce the margin of defeat.
The 23-year-old has been around the Indian team for quite a while now. While he hasn't established himself in all the formats as a regular, this could well change in the near future. Here are three reasons why Washington Sundar is the next big thing in Indian cricket.
#1 Plenty of experience despite his young age
Washington Sundar is only 23 years old, but it feels like we've been watching him play for quite a while now. He has gained plenty of experience playing in a variety of situations, in different formats and competitions under different captains. He is somewhat of a seasoned campaigner despite his age.
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That experience could come in handy ahead of what is hopefully a long career playing for the Indian national side. For those who have forgotten, Washington was part of the Indian team that won at the Gabba to seal that historic win Down Under.
With more than 50 international appearances already, this is the time for Washington to peak and make himself an all-format regular. All the experience he has gained since making his debut in the IPL at the age of 17 should hold him in good stead for the future.
At 23, he is already a mature player with plenty of cricketing wisdom about him, and we could see him be a potential future captain candidate.
#2 Washington Sundar's flexibility
Washington Sundar is one of India's most flexible players, with both bat and ball. Capable of batting in the middle order as well as opening, Washington offers India the option of experimenting with their batting order.
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He regularly bats up the order for his TNPL team and sometimes for the Tamil Nadu state team. The all-rounder is a perfectly capable middle-order batter for India, as he showed against NZ on Friday, and in the Tests against Australia.
Similarly, he's an equally versatile option with the ball and is someone who loves bowling with the new ball. He gives the skipper an option to choke the openers with spin bowling up front, but is also comfortable waiting for his turn and controlling the middle overs.
This flexibility and adaptation to new roles is a key requirement for the longevity of a cricketer's career. Washington Sundar's adaptable skill set should see him being a vital part of this team for quite some time to come.
#3 A proper all-rounder
All-rounders are players everyone inevitably has their eye on. The number of ways they can contribute to the success of a team in one match makes them vital assets to any side. The success of most teams involves having a couple of good all-rounders in their ranks.
Minimum fuss. Maximum impact.
@Sundarwashi5's batting prowess was on display last night.
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Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja have been two of India's most crucial player for a while now. For the same reason, we can see Washington Sundar becoming an essential member of the Indian squad. He's a proper all-rounder, electric on the field, and perfectly capable with both the bat and the ball.
India's pre-existing firepower in the shorter formats doesn't allow them to utilize Washington's batting abilities to the fullest. But he has shown that he's a technically sound batter capable of playing the big shots on many occasions. His accurate and miserly bowling is his biggest strength, especially in the T20 format, where dots are gold.
This Indian team has relied a lot on all-rounders to give them that cutting-edge over their opponents and that shouldn't change anytime soon. From the upcoming crop of players, Washington Sundar looks like India's most promising all-rounder and could be the next big thing in Indian cricket.